Pick Up Your Pace
by jcd117
Summary: The third installment of the Cover Your Tracks series. It had been months since Ariel and Andrea were separated from the group at the farm. Ariel had given up hope that she would ever see her brother or her love again. That all changes when they meet some unexpected people. Shane/OC Rated M for strong language and adult themes. Set during season 3 of The Walking Dead.
1. Chapter 1: It Had Been Months

Months. It had been months. It had been months since we last seen another living person. That was both good and bad. Bad because there probably wasn't any humans left. We could be all that is left for all we knew. Judging by the lacking amount of people, we probably were. Good because we didn't have to deal with any unfriendlies. We didn't have enough people or the weapons to battle a whole group.

It had been months since I cut my hair. It was overgrown and annoying. It would always manage to get in my face and block my sight. I kept it in a ponytail every second of every day. It was a pest that I couldn't find it in myself to get rid of. There was just something about it that I needed to keep. I didn't know what it was though. The thought of cutting it seemed worse than just letting it grow. It's not like we had time to go to a salon anyway.

It had been months since we had a stable place to live. We have been traveling everyday nonstop. Our feet were covered in blisters and ached, but we didn't stop. Our shoes were torn to shit and we had to find new ones every weeks. We didn't have the luxury of rest. We didn't use cars, either. I don't really know why, but they were things we would just walk by when we saw them. I guess we figured we didn't need them. We spent most our time in the forest anyway. It provided more protection than walking on the road. Maybe that's why we haven't seen any people in a long time.

It had been months since the farm. That security was long gone. We haven't come across anything remotely like it. Even if we did, we wouldn't stop. Places like that fall every single time. There was no use in getting comfortable because we would end up leaving anyway. Instead, we just went house to house in hopes we can spend the night safely. I would be lying if I said I liked doing this. I was tired of running. I just wanted something stable, but I knew I wasn't going to get it. Moving house to house was the only option we had of surviving now.

It had been months since Andrea and I were saved. We learned about our savior and decided to stay with her. She was happy to be with us considering she would be by herself otherwise. Michonne was her name. She carried a katana sword which she had become an expert with. It was her protection. That and her two walker pets. She had chopped the arms and the jaws off so they had no way to bite her or us. They were used as camouflage from the rest of those freaks. I guess the smell kept us hidden. She would never mention who these two men were, though. She obviously knew them. When Andrea asked her once, Michonne only said, "They deserved what they got." We didn't bother to ask after that. She didn't want to say and I respected that. Andrea told her everything about herself, but I didn't do the same. I kept some things to myself. Andrea did tell he about our old group and my connections to it, but it was something I personally never said.

It had been months since I had last seen either of my brothers. I could only assume that Merle was dead. He did cut his hand off after all. With the amount of blood he lost, he most likely didn't survive. I came to terms with his death. Merle and I were never close, but I still grieved silently. He was my brother after all. I grew up with him. He at least deserved someone to mourn him. He was family. And Daryl, well, I doubted I would ever see him ever again. I would never get the chance to apologize for my behavior and I had to live with that on my mind for the rest of my life. I wondered if he ever thought about me or if he was relieved that I was gone. Even he could be dead. I will never know. I just hoped that wherever he ended up, he was happy. He deserved to happy.

It had been months since we had last seen our group. We had our differences, but I did miss them. Andrea would bring them up every once in awhile, but we never went into an in depth conversation about them. The thought of them being somewhere else, or in danger, or even dead brought the mood down. They didn't deserve to suffer. I just hope Lori survived and had her baby. At least there would be some sort of joy in this hell.

It had been months since Shane and I had our last encounter. I told him I loved him and now he's gone. This was the exact reason I didn't want to get too close to someone. Out of everyone, I missed Shane Walsh the most. He was my other half and now I'll never see him again. For the first two months, I convinced both Andrea and Michonne to go looking for the group so we could be reunited with them and, I didn't tell them this, but I wanted be with Shane, but after that we gave up. There was no way in hell we were ever going to find them. I said I accepted it, but I never did. Shane was always on my mind. Knowing him, he was probably looking for me too, but he would never find me. Unlike me, however, he wouldn't have given up. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that he was still searching for me. I just hoped he was still with Rick and everyone, not causing any problems. He needs them to stay alive. He was alive. That was one thing I was certain. He was not the kind of man to let this world take him down. He was going to fight those dead bastards until he dies of natural causes.

It had been months since our lives have been together. The day we lost the group was the day we lost ourselves. We weren't the same people. We had been on the road for far too long and saw things that changes you. Andrea and I have become close friends, not because I forgave her, but because we were stuck together. We needed each other to survive, so we got over it. Same thing with Michonne. She was tough, quiet, but nice. She was caring. She was a person we needed. I knew that she wasn't always this way. She was a different person months before as well. This world has brought the three of us together and changed us. Was it for the better or worse? We didn't know. All we knew was that we were alive. That's all that mattered anymore.

Yeah. It's been months.

Andrea's been sick. When I say sick, I mean really sick. She's sweating, feverish, and she couldn't move really. If I didn't know any better I would say she had been bit. Thankfully, that's not the case. Unfortunately, none of us were doctors so we didn't exactly know what is wrong with her. Even if we did, we didn't have the resources to treat her. Every pharmacy, every house, every store was picked over. There was no medications left. We were in trouble.

We had been holding up in the back of a store, letting Andrea rest. Michonne heard some noises and volunteered to check it out. She asked me to stay with Andrea while she was out.

I stood by the doorway in the front of the store with my knife at the ready. I actually had a few of them. Over the last few months, I collected them. I knew that I was going to need them sooner or later. If I ever lost one, I had many backups assuring that I'll never be unarmed. I had left Andrea by herself only because she insisted that I go protect the front in case Michonne failed.

If there were one thing Michonne was good at, it's killing walkers with her sword. When we weren't scavenging or traveling, she was training. She could kill three walkers in one swing if she had to. I always admired her dedication to surviving. Watching her made me want to work harder on myself.

Her and I would always find time to work out everyday, even if it were for only ten minutes. I had begun to develop toned biceps and abs, something I was particularly proud of. I was stronger physically and mentally.

Michonne opened the door and met me. "Did you leave Andrea by herself?"

"I figured you might need help."

She giggled slightly. "When do I ever need help?"

We started walking back together. "That's true."

We found her laying on the floor by the other door. "What are you doing out here?" Michonne asked.

"I needed some light," Andrea moaned.

Michonne bent down and helped her sit up. She looked awful. I had this horrible feeling she wasn't going to make it, but I quickly shoved that thought in the back of my mind. She needed to live. We couldn't lose her. We needed her.

Michonne opened a package and poured out the contents in her hands. She tossed the empty paper to the side and I read it. It was a small package of aspirin. Without her asking, I handed Michonne my water bottle. She fed the pills to Andrea and gave her the water bottle. After Andrea took a drink, Michonne held it to her head, trying to cool Andrea down.

Andrea took a deep breath. "How is it out there?"

"Same," Michonne lied. "It's quiet."

Andrea caught her, too. "You're lying."

Michonne sighed. "We should go in a few days."

"Agreed," I said as I leaned against the wall.

Andrea shook her head. "They're coming. You two should go."

"No," we both objected.

"I'll hold you back. Go. I can take care of myself. I saved your asses all winter, didn't I?" Neither of us found humor in her joke as she began coughing heavily. Michonne tried to give her more water, but Andrea pushed it away. "I won't have you dying for me. Good soldier won't leave your post. Screw you."

I had developed some patience these last few month. Back at the farm, her self sacrifice would have aggravated me. Now, I respect her decision even though there was no chance in hell we were leaving without her.

"We'll go in a few days." Michonne picked herself up from the ground and dusted off her knees.

"All right."

Andrea's voice brought our attention to her once again. "If we stay... I'll die here."

She was right, unfortunately. We packed up everything, put the bags on Michonne's walkers, and we left out the back. I walked with Andrea in case she needed me. We carried on through the forest, passing walkers and other dead things. We needed to get out of here before Andrea became one of those dead things.

I thought about everything on our walk. I hoped that if Shane was still alive, that he moved on and accepted that we were never going to see each other again. I hope he found someone that wasn't Rick's wife or me. I just hope he got over the fact that Lori's baby is not his and made life slightly easier for himself.

I thought about Daryl. Maybe he changed. I hoped he didn't hate me anymore and he forgave my betrayal. Maybe he and Carol finally got together. I could always see how she liked him. Maybe he finally realized that, too.

I remember when I desperately wanted to leave that small group and be on my own. It's not what I thought it would be. I miss them all. I wished them all the best.

Yeah. It had been months.


	2. Chapter 2: Metal Contraption

We had been walking for quite some time. We only really stopped when Andrea claimed she needed a break, which wasn't often. There were only a few walkers around. We didn't have to do much running thankfully. I don't think she would have made it if we needed to do so. Andrea's health was deteriorating rapidly. She worried both Michonne and myself. Andrea was our driving force. Without her, the two of us probably wouldn't have made it far on our own. She was our life saver.

Every once in awhile I would think back on the days when I hated the woman. Hell, I even punched her in the face at one point. Of course, she deserved it, but it was stupid of me to have lost my temper like that. I guess I've become more level headed out here. I disliked the person I was. That hot headedness ran in my blood, but I changed it. Things are different now out here. So much has changed since the beginning of the end of the world.

The three of us, and the two mules, walked down a deserted road out in the open. There weren't any trees to cover us, but if there was anything coming our way, we would easily see it. So far, everything was clear. This was the norm lately.

Michonne walked in front as she dragged her pets behind her. Andrea and I walked behind them for two reasons. One, Michonne and I determined that someone whould be walking with Andrea at all times in case she were to pass out or something to that effect. And two, I personally didn't trust the walkers. Even after spending months with them, I was still uneasy. Just because their jaws and arms were removed, doesn't mean they weren't dangerous. I did, however, trust Michonne. If she said she had them under control, then she did. Still, I just felt safer walking behind them instead of ahead.

We trudged along like we always did, hoping to find some place to hold up for the night and then move on the next day. We had water so all three of us were well hydrated. So the noise we heard couldn't have been a hallucination. The whirling of chopper blades past above us. A large shadow shaded pieces of the ground. "Oh, shit," I mumbled. This couldn't be happening. I hadn't seen anything in the air since it started. I thought the sky was only for the birds now.

As fast as the helicopter was flying high, it was tumbling to the ground. It smashed into the trees on the other side of the field where we stood. Thick, black smoke erupted from the forest.

My shoulders slumped and I kicked the ground. "Dammit!"

Andrea looked from me to Michonne. Her dark eyes then averted to the crash site and her legs started to pull her body forward.

"Where are you going?" I questioned.

She didn't look back at me. "We should see if anyone's alive."

"Andrea, you saw that crash. No one could have survived that." The thought of someone even breathing was ludicrous. "Besides, walkers must have heard that for miles. They're going to be swarming that place within minutes. We should stick to the main road before we get ourselves killed."

Andrea ignored my warning and proceeded to walk toward the wreckage.

Frustrated, I turned to our other partner. "Michonne, back me up here. This is insane."

Michonne bowed her head and whipped the chains of her walkers. The three of them started following Andrea.

I threw up my hands. "You've got to be kidding me. Not you, too."

Andrea shook her head and shouted, "You can wait here if you want. We'll come back in a few minutes."

I dropped my hands, knowing I had been defeated. I jogged to catch up to the blonde. She looked at me and grinned. "Well, you didn't give me much of a choice. Staying behind would have been dumber than walking right up to the crash with you guys."

She tried to wrap her arm around me, but I pushed her away. "Don't touch me," I joked.

Andrea giggled slightly.

It didn't take long to make our way through the tall grass. We pushed through the foliage and quickly managed to find the devastation. The chopper smoked and pieces were scattered everywhere. "Watch where you step," I warned.

Andrea started to heave. She bent over and released some vomit. I rubbed her back slowly. "It's all right. Let it out."

"Don't push yourself," Michonne advised. Andrea had trouble straightening herself out, so Michonne grabbed her arm and gently guided her to the ground. "You better sit." She looked to me as I knelt by Andrea's side. "You got her?"

"Yeah," I answered.

Michonne grabbed the chains and wrapped them around a tree. She locked them securely with a padlock she acquired before we met. She handed Andrea a gun. "I'll check it out."

I stood up. "Do you want me to come with you?"

"No. Stay with her."

I nodded and knelt back down. "All right. Holler if you need us."

Michonne marched to the crash and left us behind. Her pets noticed her absence as well. They started to get restless and snarled at her disappearance.

"Man, I hate those things," I commented.

Andrea kept her eyes focused on Michonne. "At least they're useful." She coughed heavily.

"Can't argue with you there." We sat and watched Michonne quietly. In the silence, I heard a roar of an engine. "Do you hear that?"

"Hear what?"

I stared at Michonne. She peered through the open part of the chopper and I knew she heard it too. She quickly retreated and ran back to us. "Someone's coming." She pushed us over so we were hidden by the shrubs.

"Any survivors?" Andrea asked her.

"Two dead, not sure about the other."

"Jesus," I said. It applied to both the deaths in the crash and the small calvary that pulled up next to the smashed up helicopter. I counted two cars each filled with at least two to four men.

"Fan out," one of them ordered. His accent was heavy. He was from around here. Another aimed a gun at a walker. "Save those rounds until you need 'em."

A tall, black guy used a bow and arrow to take out a walker that stumbled his way. Daryl popped into my mind. I sure could use him right about now.

Andrea covered her mouth and tried to muffle her coughing. Michonne and I both rubbed her back, trying to sooth her.

Two more walkers showed up. A Latino man in a baseball cap twirled a bat and hit the first in the leg, bringing it down. He turned to the second and bashed it in the skull, splattering its brain matter. He then went back to the first and took a good swing, twisting the walkers head completely around.

The first man shouted from the helicopter. "Got a breather. Tim!" Him and another man, who I assumed was Tim, pulled one of the men out of the wreck.

Footsteps shuffled behind us. I flung my head around and saw a walker stumbling through the trees. I tapped Michonne on the shoulder and pointed to our visitor. She started to pull out her Katana, but Andrea stopped her. One of the men was closer than we originally thought and the walker was eyeing him, not us. I guess those pets really did come in handy.

A guy raised his gun and called, "Over here. Shrumpert." Shrumpert, the bow carrier, aimed and shot an arrow right into the walker's head, bringing it down.

The first guy dragged the surviving rider out. "He's saving them. We should show ourselves." Andrea shuffled, ready to stand up.

I look at Andrea, shocked. Just because this guy saved one person, doesn't mean he'll help us too. Michonne felt the same way. "Not yet."

I shook my head. "Something don't feel right."

"I agree." Michonne kept her gaze set on the first man.

I followed her move. This guy didn't look like the savior type. He looked over to what I guessed was one of the dead that Michonne told us about. He took his knife from his side and jabbed it into the head of the dead guy.

I covered my mouth to silence my gasp. "Did he just...?"

"Yeah." Michonne's face was disgusted.

"Why the fuck...?"

She shook her head, not sure what to answer.

The pets were starting to get restless again. They would move constantly, rattling the chains, causing a scene. It was getting worse and worse. The noise was going to draw the men our way and after what we just saw, that was not something we wanted.

My fear had started to take shape when three men, including the first, looked our way. One of them raised his gun with a scope to get a better look at the source of the sounds.

My heart started throbbing. I wanted to scream at Michonne to do something, because I couldn't. If I were to do something to them, she would certainly flip her shit. I didn't want to see her like that. After these past few months, we've kept a pretty good relationship. That was something I wanted to desperately keep. Unfortunately for me, that want was going to get the three of us killed.

I heard the shredding of the sword and Michonne hopped up next to me. She stood in front of her pets and in one swoop each, their heads detached from their necks and their bodies went limp. The chains had stopped rattling and the moans were forever silenced.

Michonne knelt back down with us and observed the men's faces. After a minute, they ignored it and went back to whatever it was they were doing.

"Let's roll out," the first ordered the rest of them.

Andrea dropped her head and rested her gun in relief. I let out a breath and relaxed slightly. That was it. They were going to leave and we could move on, hoping that we would never run into them again.

A branch snapped behind us and Michonne whipped her sword up.

A gun cocked. "Uh-Uh-Uh. Easy does it, girl. Mine's a whole lot bigger than yours. Now put down your weapons."

My eyes looked from the ground to Andrea. She did the same. The voice was so familiar, but it couldn't be. He was dead. I was sure of it. I saw the blood for myself. No one could survive with that much blood loss. No one. Not even him.

Michonne and Andrea both obeyed his orders.

"That's it. Nice and easy," the voice said. "And let me see your hands."

We all raised our hands as he said.

"Now spin around." Andrea followed, but I couldn't. This had to be a dream. I was in shock. My body wouldn't listen to my mind. "That's it. Come on girl. Don't make me have to shoot you. Nice little twirl around."

Andrea looked up at him. "Oh, holy shit. Blondie. Damn you're looking good."

I heard a walker's moan behind us and I silently prayed that it would get his ass and end this nightmare. This couldn't be real. Unfortunately, the moans stopped.

"How's about a big hug for your old pal Merle?" I fucking knew it. "Wait. If that's Blondie, then that must be..."

I turned slowly and finally showed my face. "God damn. That is you. You don't look as good as Blondie, I've got to admit."

"Bite me," I snarled.

"Ah, now is that the proper way of saying 'hello' to your older brother after all these months?"

Michonne shot me a look. She didn't know how to comprehend the scene that was unfolding in front of her and frankly, neither could I.

"I don't give a damn, Merle. You're dead. You have to be."

"You should be nicer to the man holding a gun to your head."

"Are you really gonna shoot me or is that just for show?"

"Your attitude sure hasn't changed. You're still a raging bitch."

"And you're still an asshole."

"Oh, I'm much more than that, Honey. I'm part tin man." He lifted his hand, the one that Daryl and I found on that roof. Merle had replaced it with some metal contraption that had a knife attached.

Suddenly, the combination of the heat, exhaustion, and tension proved to be too much for Andrea. She collapsed to the ground.

"Looks like she could use some help," Merle commented.

"Fuck off, Merle. We're gonna pick her up and we'll be leaving."

"Oh, no, Baby Sis. You're coming with me."

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you are enjoying this story and I wanted to apologize for the lack of updating. I had some medical issues and had a bunch of work to make up. Now that I am all caught up, expect frequent updates of this and my other stories. I hope this was worth the long wait and another update should be up in the next few days. Thank you all for reading!**


	3. Chapter 3: Welcome To Woodbury

Merle forced Michonne, Andrea, and me into a truck and blindfolded us. I guess they didn't want us to know where we were going. The ride wasn't long. It was dark by the time we got our destination, wherever that was.

The first thing they did was pull us out and force us into a room. All of our weapons were gone and we were left defenseless. Michonne waited in the corner and Andrea was told to sit on the table so she could get treated. I stood on the other side of her, making sure no one would try and pull something. Just because my brother was here, doesn't mean I trusted these people. Hell, it made me trust them less.

A woman in doctor scrubs came in and helped Andrea. She wanted me to move, but I refused. I was staying right where I was.

She took the thermometer out of Andrea's mouth and Andrea couldn't hold her tongue. "Why are we being held here? We want to leave."

"You're not well enough," the doctor claimed. "And it's dark. You should stay the night."

"Where are we?"

The doctor looked at the door then turned back to Andrea. "That's not for me to say. He'll talk to you."

Michonne broke her silence. "Who?"

The door opened. Of course Merle would choose now to enter the picture. "Go check on your patient, Doc." After she left, he opened his mouth again. "Bet you was wondering if I was real. Probably hoping I wasn't."

I scoffed. "You got that right."

He dropped a chair in front of us. "Well, here I am. I guess this old world gets a little smaller toward the end, huh? Ain't so many of us left to share the air, right?" He looked directly at me. "You know, when they found me, I was near bled out. Starving. Thinking to myself a bullet might make a good last meal. Take myself a nice long nap after. Wait for Daryl, and maybe even you, on the other side." He then looked to Andrea. "You seen my brother.

I hung my head at the thought. He misses Daryl, too. I guess we did have something in common after all.

"Not for a long time," Andrea answered.

"What about you, Baby Sis? Have you seen Daryl?"

I only shook my head.

"Guess not or you'd be with him, complaining about something." He chuckled and so did I. Things were so different. That would be exactly spot on if we never met the group back in Atlanta.

"We went back for you, Daryl and me. Glenn, T-Dog, and Rick, too. All you had to do was wait. We were coming. You left." I could feel him judging me.

Merle unstrapped his metal arm piece and started to pull it off. "Well, not all of me. Yeah, Rick. He's that prick that cuffed me to the rooftop."

Andrea nodded. "Yeah. He tried. Daryl saw that."

I shot her a look. I knew that Merle would hate to hear how close Rick and Daryl became. He was always the possessive type. Daryl was his in Merle's mind. No one else could have him. Maybe that's why we fought all of the time.

"He's always been the sweet one, my baby brother. Way sweeter than me or this one over here."

It took everything to push down my feeling to punch him in the face. I was starting to miss him being gone. "Daryl wanted to keep looking. I guess I wanted to too."

"Things happened. People died," Andrea added. "A lot of them." Then she started to name them. "Jim, Dale, Jacqui, Sophia... Amy." She tried to hold back her tears.

I rested my hand on her shoulder, trying to assure her that it was okay.

"Your sister?" my brother asked calmly. "She was a good kid. I'm sorry to hear it."

She readjusted herself and I moved my hand. "There were more. A lot more. We had to leave Atlanta. We wound up on a farm. Daryl stepped up. Became a valued member of the group."

"Now he's dead."

"Don't say that," I warned. I wanted to believe he was still alive. I needed to believe it. The though of him and Shane being alive was part of what was keeping me going.

"We don't know that for sure. We got run off by a herd."

"How long ago?" he asked.

"Seven, eight months." Andrea looked to Michonne to check if she was right. Michonne only nodded slightly. "We were separated from the rest of them. Got left behind. We know what it feels like."

Merle lifted his arm. "I doubt that."

I was tired of the catching up. "What do you want from us?"

He stood up. "Damn. There she sits, four walls around her, roof over her head, and she wantd to know what I want from her. She was just like that as a kid." He turned his attention to our silent friend. "I plucked you, your dying friend, and your mute here out of the dirt, Ariel." The way he said my name made me shiver. "Saved you asses. How about a thank you?"

"Are you serious?"

"You had a gun on us." Michonne didn't like my brother. I could see it from a mile away.

"Ooh, she speaks. Who ain't had a gun on 'em in the past year, huh? Show of hands, y'all. Anybody? Hell, I think I'd piss my pants if some stranger come walking up with his mitts in his pockets. That'd be the son of a bitch you'd really want to be scared of."

"We don't have time for your games, Merle. We just want-"

Andrea interrupted me. "Thank you." The two of us were going to have a talk when we get a minute alone.

He grinned slightly. "See, kid. At least someone has manners." The door beside Merle swung open and a man stepped through to whisper something in my brother's ear. It was the first guy from the crash.

"How you feeling?" he asked Andrea.

Michonne had had enough. She stepped in front of the two of us. "We want our weapons."

"Sure. On your way out the front gates."

"Show us the way," Andrea demanded. "You've kept us locked up in this room."

The man shrugged. "You see any bars on the windows? You're being cared for."

"Under guard."

"To protect our people. We don't know you."

"We know enough about you to want out of this place. We watched you drive a knife into the skulls of two dead men. What the hell was that all about?"

"They turned."

I crossed my arms. "Are you insane?"

"They weren't bitten," Michonne snapped.

The man and Merle shared a shocked look. The man stepped forward and his voice was sullen. "Doesn't matter. However we die, we all turn. I put them out of their misery. It's not easy news to swallow at first, but there it is."

Even though there will always be this love/hate thing between Merle and me, I trusted him more than this guy. I looked over at him to confirm what the man said. He nodded at me, knowing what I was silently asking.

The man started to walk toward the opposite side of the room. "You're not prisoners here, you're guests. If you want to leave, as I said, you're free to do so. But we don't open the gates past dusk. Draws too much attention." He looked at Andrea. I could see what he was thinking as his eyes grew soft. He had a thing for her. "And you especially, you need a solid night's sleep. You wouldn't last another day out there in your condition. Have you brought over to my place in the morning. Return your weapons. Extra ammo, food for the road, some meds, keys to a vehicle if you want one. Send you on your way. No hard feelings." The three of us followed him out to the streets of the small town we were being held in. It was deserted and small flames lit the roads. He moved out of the way so we could have a better view. "Welcome to Woodbury." He jogged down the steps of the building. "Come with me."

Michonne and I helped Andrea down the steps because she was still quite weak. Merle followed us uncomfortably close.

The man led us to the front wall of the town. It was made from old trucks and tires and guards were placed on the beds. The men were armed with some heavy artillery. Merle joined them and ordered a few around. He must have been some top guy here.

"Are you military?" Andrea asked the man.

He smiled, taking it as a compliment. "Hardly. Couple of vets, but by and large we're self-trained."

"That's heavy artillery they're packing." I wasn't comfortable with this. Where did they get such weapons? It couldn't have been easy.

He could tell that I had suspicions. "Some men arrive with guns, but most of the weapons are scavenged over time."

"And the other side of town? The rest of the streets? They're all guarded like this?" Andrea couldn't believe it. "It can't be."

"It can and it is."

Merle whistled. "Got us a creeper, Governor." The man nodded and Merle grabbed one the guard's guns.

Andrea and I couldn't believe what Merle just called him. It seemed ridiculous. "Governor? They call you that?"

"Some nicknames stick whether you want them to or not."

"A nickname? Seems more than that." I couldn't help it. It seemed stupid and scary at the same time.

"Buzz is a nickname. Governor is a title. There's a difference."

"Exactly," I said, agreeing with Andrea.

A gunshot fired and Merle spoke. "Got him. He brought his buddies." A couple more shots sounded. "Clear."

"We'll get them in the morning," the Governor told Merle. "Can't leave them to rot. Creates an odor. Makes people uneasy."

"People?"

"There's nobody here." Michonne hung back as Andrea and I asked all the questions. "It's a ghost town."

"This way." Again, the Governor led us away. This time, he led us into a building instead of out. He opened a door to a room that contained beds for us. "You'll be more comfortable here. Not the Four Season, but there's a hot shower. Water's limited, so keep it short. We got food, water, fresh clothes. Hope this works."

Michonne was pissed about something. This wasn't her usual set up. "I know you'd feel better with your sword," the Governor commented, "more secure, but you're safe here."

Andrea settled the awkwardness between everyone. "We appreciate it. What about the pilot? Will he make it?"

"Well, Dr. Steven is doing all she can. Now, I know you got a lot more questions, but I got work to do." He pointed to Shrumpert, the same man that was in the field with him. "My man will be outside the door if you need anything else. "I'll see you tomorrow.

Michonne slammed the door behind him. This place was odd. It felt too safe. Something wasn't right. 'Welcome to Woodbury,' my ass.


	4. Chapter 4: Anger Issues

"Are you insane?"

Andrea was taken aback by my question. "Excuse me?"

"We don't know these people. You can't blow all of our secrets because maybe, just maybe, something could work out. We can't show all of cards during the first hand."

"That's your brother."

"All the more reason to keep your mouth shut. I was raised with him. I know exactly what goes through his mind. He's going to use this information against us."

"We've been searching months for your brother."

"The other one! Daryl is the one I want to find. I looked for Merle once. He bailed, didn't want to be found. He is one of the last people I trust with anything. That's how he ended up on that roof in the first place. He is bad news, Andrea. Just because we're related, doesn't mean we can instantly trust him, especially in the world we live in today."

Michonne finally pushed herself into the conversation. "You didn't mention you had another brother."

"I thought he was dead and it never came up. Merle is family, but not the loving member. Merle was someone I tried to forget. He's the one you try to avoid unless you are in some deep shit."

"We are in deep shit, Ariel!" Andrea tried to muffle her shouts, not wanting those men to come back. At least she listened to me when it came to that. "We've been out there for months with no hope and then this place shows up. I'm sorry if I thought this was what we were looking for."

"It just popped out of nowhere. Something is off here, Andrea. That Governor guy does not convince me that this place is safe. Having Merle as his head of military scares me. Like I said, I've known Merle my whole life, but I don't trust him as head of anything especially when it involved using weapons. Someone is going to end up dead if they haven't already."

"Ariel's right, Andrea. That Governor is too... nice. They call him the Governor for gods sake. Something is obviously very wrong here."

"The two of you aren't even giving this place a chance. We've been here only a few hours and you're already condemning it." Andrea moved to the other side of the room to the shower and stared at it like nothing she'd ever seen before.

"What I don't understand is why you're not the least bit weary of this place."

"I am."

"Then why the fuck do you look so damn calm?" She could only stare at me. "You should be throwing a fit like I am right now. They blindfolded us and practically kidnapped us, but you're standing there acting as if everything is peachy keen. Care to explain."

"I want this to work, Ariel. If this is real, we could have a shot at an actual life."

"I highly doubt that."

"Ariel, just because we can't find Shane-"

I furiously cut her off. "Don't you bring him into this."

"Why not? That's why you don't want to stay, isn't it? You don't want to stop looking."

"I stopped looking for them months ago, Andrea."

"I'm not stupid. I can tell you never gave up hope. Staying here is like giving up and you don't want that. You think that settling down means definitely never seeing your family again. Well I got news for you, Ariel. You have family right here, but you are too damn blind to see that. Michonne and I have stayed by your side for months, but you can't think of us as family. You don't us to 'replace' Shane and Daryl."

I clenched my teeth and made tight fists. "Stop."

She ignored me. "I know we can't replace them, but we're all you got. You have no choice but to at least consider staying with us and giving this place a chance because you're on your own otherwise. And don't forget, Merle is here, too. Whether you like it or not, Merle is your brother, your flesh and blood. I remember the day when there was nothing that meant more to you and Daryl than blood."

"Andrea," I warned again. She was starting to piss me off me and more.

"Does that not matter to you anymore, Ariel? Huh? If not, then would you rather be alone because that's the way it's going to be. I hate to say it, but I doubt you're going to see them again."

That was it. I felt a sudden loss of control and screamed, "I said 'STOP!'" If Michonne wasn't behind me, I would have gone for Andrea's neck. Luckily, Michonne grabbed ahold of my arms and held me back. She tried to fight the rage monster that laid in front of her. At that moment, I understood Bruce Banner from the Hulk. It's quite hard to contain the anger when it's built into you. I tried to push Michonne off of me, but she was too strong. "How dare you say that to me?! You don't understand family because your's is all dead. You have no grasp of what I'm going through. Don't you fucking throw it in my face like that."

Shrumpert busted through the door. "What the hell is going on in here?" He separated Michonne's hands and my arms from their bond. Hegrabbed my arm and pushed me to the wall,

Andrea's eyes only squinted at me. "Those people were my family, too, Ariel. You have no claim on them."

"Do you three have to be separated? Do I have to get another room."

Andrea shook her head. "No. We're fine. Just having a little argument. Sorry for the noise. We'll keep it down."

"Are you sure?" He looked back and forth from Andrea to me.

I exhaled slowly. "Yeah. We're fine."

"All right. Keep it down or I'm going to have to separate you and get the Governor." Reluctantly, our guard left the room without another word and shut the door behind him.

We stood there in silence, not sure where to go from there. It had been a very long time since I last blew a gasket. I think the last time might have been when I punched Andrea in the face. During those days, I would run off somewhere and cool off. I remember when Shane would come and see if I was all right. I couldn't do that now, though. We were locked in this room only to be released in the morning and Shane was nowhere to be found. This was something I had to deal with now and on my own.

"Andrea-"

"No, Ariel. It's okay. I shouldn't have pushed that on you like that. It just needed to be said."

That's when I did the unthinkable. I admitted defeat. "You're right."

"What?"

"You're right. I don't want to give up and they were your family, too. I guess I didn't see that because you weren't looking like I was. But I refuse to give up on searching because of the small possibility that this could work."

"I never said we should. I just want to stay and test this place out before completely knocking it down. Please just give it until morning until we talk to this Governor again. If you still want to leave, I'll understand. The same for you, Michonne."

Michonne and I shared a look of agreement and both said, "Okay." Judging by the look on her face, Michonne wanted out of here more than I did. Something was so off here. I trusted Michonne's instincts. If she thought this place was bad news, she was probably right.

Andrea sighed and smiled halfheartedly. "Okay. I'm going to try out this shower and then go to bed. Oh, and Ariel, you may want to talk to Merle a little before making your final decision on this place. Maybe he'll change your mind."

I placed my hands on my hips. "I doubt it. He was never good at persuading me to do what he wanted. Daryl was more of a pushover than I ever was."

"Before you get in the shower," Michonne interrupted, "can we please talk about what he just told us?"

Andrea stopped moving and stared in confusion.

"What do you mean?" I asked equally puzzled.

"He said that we turn no matter how we die. Do we trust what he says? Is that even possible?"

"I didn't think it was possible that the dead could rise and eat people," I pointed out. "I just choose not to question what's possible and what isn't anymore. If they say we turn when we die, I have no reason to argue with them besides the fact that we don't know them. We all must be infected with whatever the hell this thing is." I didn't want to mention the look that Merle gave me earlier to convince me. That would make it seem that we should trust what Merle says all of the time and I didn't want that.

"I guess you're right." Michonne plopped down on the bed and I sat down next to her.

"You miss your sword, don't you?" I asked trying to change the subject. She didn't answer. "We'll get it back. You won't be without it for long."

"I'm going to take my shower now." Andrea turned and undressed while Michonne and I sat facing the other way and waited until we heard the sound of the water. Even in the apocalypse we respected each other's privacy. It was one of the few things we felt we still had control over.

"What was that?" Michonne whispered to me with concern written all over her face.

"What was what?" I whispered back.

"That... that outburst. I've never seen you lose it like that before."

I bowed my head, not proud of myself. "I have anger issues, Michonne. I've learned to contain them. I used to be a hell of a lot worse, honestly. I even punched Andrea out for trying to get with my boyfriend. I like to think I've gotten better since then. Just when she mentioned Daryl and Shane, I lost it. I'm not proud of it and promise to try and contain myself better."

"No, you don't need to do that. Anger is something you need in this world. It's what keeps you alive. Just try and take it out on walkers, not us."

I grinned lightly. "Okay. I'll make sure to do that."

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! I want to apologize for the delay in the post. I decided to take some time off from writing and refresh my mind. Now that I am officially done with school, I can sit and focus entirely on my writing. I hope this chapter reflects that. I promise to have another one soon. Also, could you guys leave me some reviews. I miss reading them every time I put out a new chapter. It shows me that you're enjoying the story and that I should continue. Thank you all so much. Love you all from the bottom of my heart!**


	5. Chapter 5: A Rock And A Hardplace

I didn't sleep that night. I tossed and turned cot was just too comfortable to sleep. I wasn't used to it one bit. I secretly missed sleeping on couches of abandoned homes or under the trees in the elements. Andrea snored for the first time since the farm. I couldn't understand how she could have been so deep in sleep. It was like Andrea was already adapting to a new life here, one that she decided she wanted without even thinking it all of the way through. Michonne pretended to sleep, but I knew she couldn't sleep either. This place was too quiet, something we weren't used to. If feel like if we did decide to stay, she would never sleep. Michonne wasn't the kind to just forget what happened on the outside.

In the morning, we were greeted by a woman with dark hair in a sundress and boots. I could tell she didn't spend much time on the outside. She looked too calm. She walked us out of our room and into the bustling streets of Woodbury. People surrounded us, walking on the sidewalks like the past year didn't happen. It was a huge change from the ghost town we saw last night. At least we knew this wasn't a lie.

Andrea was shocked. "Is this real?"

"The three of you were out there for a long time. While you were, the Governor was doing this." She smiled, proud of what was in front us.

"How many people do you have here?"

"73" the woman bragged. A pregnant woman pass us. "Eileen's about to pop, so her kid will make 74. It's still a work in progress, but Rome wasn't built in a day."

The site of that woman made me remember Lori again. I hoped she her baby safely and her and Rick worked through everything and were a happy family with big brother Carl. I really hoped that Shane stayed out of it even though that kid is probably his. I just wished that they were all okay.

Michonne walked behind us. She observed every little detail of this place. She was not going to leave any stone unturned. If they had a secret, Michonne was going to find the truth. It was something I could always count on. She was always good at that.

Andrea ignored her. "That's a bold comparison."

"I think we've earned it. Walls haven't been breached in well over a month. We haven't suffered a casualty on the inside since early winter."

"How's that possible?"

"Our Governor set a strict curfew. Nobody out after dark. Noise and light are kept to the bare minimum. Armed guards on the fence and patrolling the perimeter to keep the biters away." These people give all the credit to the Governor for some reason. There had to be more people involved than just him.

"I saw what your patrols do on the way in last night. They had a dead one strung up like an ornament." I didn't even notice that. How did Andrea when she was fading in and out constantly last night?

"Definitely makes me feel so safe," I mumbled to Michonne.

The woman stopped walking and stared at Andrea. "I won't make excuses, but those men put their lives at risk every day to protect this town. They've lost more than a few friends out there. Everybody copes in their own way. But I'll raise it with the Governor." She started walking again. I still couldn't believe that Merle was one of those guys. He was never much of a team player. It's amazing what a year can do to a person.

Andrea turned and smiled at us before following her again.

"I don't like it."

I sighed. "Neither do I, but we said we'd give it a chance." I walked forward to catch up to Andrea. Give it a chance. Just give it a chance. I had to keep telling myself that.

She toured us around the town. She showed us where the kids go to school, where they grow their food, and even where the Governor stays in case we need him for some reason. There was so much boasting about the town I thought I was going to throw up. I couldn't wait until it was over. If anything, all of this bragging made me want to book it as fast as I could out of there so I wouldn't have to hear how great Woodbury was anymore.

I could hardly take it anymore. "Do you know where Merle is?" I interrupted.

"He's, uh, in a meeting with the Governor. He should be out soon. Why may I ask?"

Andrea couldn't hold her tongue. "It's her brother."

"Oh. I didn't know he had a sister."

I crossed my arms, annoyed. "I'm sure there's a lot you don't know about Merle."

"Well, I'm sure there's a lot you two want to catch up on. I'll make sure he come and finds you after the meeting."

"Thanks."

We walked around more and more learning about the place I didn't give two craps about. I tried my hardest to ignore the woman's words and Andrea's questions. I just thought of various ways to escape in case we needed to. At least I was doing something useful.

I don't know how long it was until I was finally approached by someone, a man in a grey t-shirt. "Excuse me. Which one of you is Ariel?"

"She is." Andrea pointed to me.

"Merle wants to talk to you."

I finally uncrossed my arms and exhaled loudly. "Where is he and why didn't he come get me himself?"

"He'll meet you there. This way." He turned away from me before I could say anything more about it.

I walked behind him and Michonne called to me. "Do you want us to go with you?"

I nodded a thanks, but said, "I got it. Finish your tour. I'll catch up later." I know she wanted to make sure this wasn't some sort of trick, but it was Merle. He may have been a raging dick, but he wouldn't let anything happen to me. I was his sister after all. Besides, Andrea was right. I should have a conversation with my brother before I make a definite decision about this place.

Michonne nodded and I walked away without another word.

The man led me to a building that seemed to only be used for storage. There were piles of useless pieces of furniture stacked against the walls and it smelled dingy. He put me in a room with a couple chairs gathered around a table. He told me to sit down and Merle will be in in a minute.

I didn't sit. I leaned against the wall in the far corner of the room and waited. What did Merle want? He didn't even talk to me much when we saw each other everyday let alone had a full conversation. And why didn't he come and get me himself? Is he just that important here where he has lesser people do things for him?

The door opened slowly. "Hey, Baby Sister."

"Hey, Merle."

"How've ya been?"

I kept my voice low. "Surviving. You?"

"I've been fine, ya know, besides the loss of my hand." He flashed his metal contraption for me to see once again. It was like he wanted me to feel bad that he cut his hand off.

I shook my head. "All you had to do was wait. We looked for you and I do mean 'WE.' Daryl dragged my ass out to the city to find you. Got the crap kicked out of me, too. Lost some blood. Damn assholes." I remembered that day like it was yesterday. We had to look for Merle, get the guns but ended up having to go and save Glenn from the Vatos. Then we got back to a camp that was being overrun by walkers and Shane saved me from being bit. I missed the days back at the original camp. Even with all of the hardships, it held some of the best memories of the group.

"Well, I'm glad you're alive."

"You are?"

"Yeah. Listen. I know we didn't get along before all this and I'm going to guess we still don't, but we are all each other have now. Unless we find Daryl and his little group again."

I pushed off the wall at the thought of my brother. "Doubt it. I've been looking for seven or eight months and haven't even seen a trace of them. They're long gone by now."

"Aw. Don't look so sad little sis. Unless you have more ties to that group than you're telling me."

This was the moment I should have told him about Shane. I could have told him about Atlanta, the CDC, and the farm. I chose not to. He didn't need to know and I didn't need to hear all teasing from him. That little slice of heaven was mine and mine alone. "Nope. Just Daryl."

"And you have no idea where he is?"

"Not a clue."

"Then we're it."

"Guess so."

"You think he's dead?"

My heart dropped at the thought. "Nah. If anyone was going to survive, it's Daryl. I wouldn't be surprised if he outlives the both of us."

Merle chuckled. "I guess you're right."

"So this Governor guy, is he good?"

"I would say so. He did save me from a death sentence. I don't blame you for not trusting him, though. Someone that nice shouldn't be trusted. But I'm not nice so you can trust me. Everything is straight here."

"Do you trust him?"

He stood silent, thinking about his answer. "I do."

"Okay." His delay in answering led me to believe otherwise. Merle didn't trust many people. Only special people could gain my brother's trust. The Governor was nothing special.

"Ariel, I want you to stay here."

"Why?"

"It's safe and we're family. We're all we got."

"You're wrong. Andrea and Michonne are my family."

"Well it looks to me that Andrea wants to stay but your other little friend wants out. So you're stuck between a rock and a hard place, Little Sis. Just when it comes down to the decision, don't forget me, you're actual family."

I nodded once. "I'll think about it."

"I really mean it when I say I want you to stay."

"For once, Merle, I actually believe you. But like I said, I'll think about it."

As I pulled the door open to leave, I heard him say, "I'm glad you're alive, Ariel."

"I'm glad you're alive, too, Merle," I repeated.

When it will come down to it, this decision is not going to be as easy as I originally thought. Merle was right. Andrea was leaning toward staying and living here. Michonne is leaning toward getting the hell out of here and never looking back. I'm caught in the middle. It was either stay here with my friend and my brother and be safe or go with my other friend and take my chances out there with the possibility of running into the group again. Both situations had their drawbacks. Staying would mean obeying the original rules of society that I even ignored before the apocalypse. I would also have to stay with that creepy ass Governor guy. There was something very, very wrong with him. Even Merle was a bit weary of him and the Governor saved his life. Then again, if I do leave with Michonne it will be back to constantly looking over my shoulder for walkers and other threats. We would have to go back to scavenging, sleeping with one eye open if we sleep at all, and constantly moving. It was a tough choice. I could go either way. One thing was for sure. I was going to have to hurt someone's feelings in the end.


	6. Chapter 6: Who Were The Walkers

"It's hard to believe you ladies lasted so long out there," the Governor said to us as he pushed scrambled eggs onto our plates.

"Because we're women?" Andrea leaned her head on her hand, not too pleased with this guy's tone.

"Because you were alone."

"We had each other." I chuckled on the inside. That was one of the most cliche things I had ever heard Andrea say.

Even the Governor thought that was ridiculous. "Three against the world. It's long odds."

"We managed."

Michonne and I let Andrea do all of the talking. Michonne wanted to sit and observe this guy and I didn't want to have another sudden outburst about how full of shit he was. Andrea seemed to like doing the talking, so we let her talk all she wanted.

"Oh, we're impressed."

"Very," the a Governor's friend with glasses said. If I remembered correctly, his name was Milton.

"Survival in the world is tough sledding. Wake up every morning on the ground wondering if today is the day. Will it be quick and final or slow and, well, without end? Will someone have the good sense to kill my brain, or will I come back as one of them?"

I scoffed. "You don't think like that when you're trying to survive. That's how you end up dead and one of those things. You need to focus on living not dying."

The Governor nodded. "That's a good strategy."

"Do you think they remember anything?" Milton asked us. "The person they once were?"

"I don't think about it." Andrea dug right into her food and talked with her mouth full.

Michonne stared at the wall, not wanting to touch her food. I followed her gaze and saw exactly what she was yearning. Her sword was placed with all the other decorations on the Governor's shelves. She wanted desperately to grab it and run.

The Governor began to pick at his food. "Milton believes there might be a trace of the person they were still trapped inside."

"Like an echo," Milton added. "Surely it must have crossed your minds."

"At one time, yeah. Right before it tried to bite me," Andrea joked.

I would be lying if I said I didn't think about it. Back when this whole thing began, I wasn't convinced those things were dead. How could they be moving if they were dead? As time went on, I saw the horrible monsters they were and knew they weren't human anymore. Those people are long gone.

"And then you killed it? I only say 'it' only because no one here likes to refer to them as him..." Andrea and I shot him looks. "Or her." Milton coughed under the pressure. "The two you had in chains, who were they?"

Michonne seemed to stop breathing. We had asked before, but never straight on like this. She didnt like the question so we never got our answer.

"The way you controlled them, used them to your benefit. You did know them, didn't you?"

I dropped my fork. "No offense, but I don't think it's any of your goddamn business who they were. They could have been random walkers on the road for all you know."

Michonne nodded slightly once at me, silently thanking me.

It was silent in the room for ten seconds at least. They didn't like the way I talked to them, but I didn't care. There was no reason to be so rude to us. If Michonne wanted them to know, she would have told them.

The Governor finally broke the silence. "Let them eat."

Milton looked down at his plate in shame. "My apologies."

Andrea's eyes widened at me. I knew she didn't like the way I handled that just now, but I didn't care. She was just going to have to deal. Wanting to move to a different topic, Andrea asked. "So what you have here, you expect it to hold? What if a herd comes through?"

"It'll hold," the Governor answered confidentially.

"What's your secret?"

He grinned at her. "Really big walls."

She giggled. "That soldier had walls, too, and we all know how that turned out."

The Governor wiped his face with a towel. "I guess we do." He tried to keep on this front, but I could see right through him. He didn't like Andrea's line of questioning. He was probably going through all the different ways to kill us because we were annoying him. Instead of killing us, he just continued with his constant bullshitting. "The real secret is what goes on within these walls. It's about getting back to who we were. Who we really are. They're just waiting to be saved. People here have homes, medical care, kids go to school, adults have jobs to do. There's a sense of purpose. We're a community."

Milton loved the way the Governor talked about their little town. It made him smile. "With a lot of guns and ammunition."

"Never hurts."

"And really big walls." Andrea bit down on her eggs but never moved her eyes from the Governor. I swear if she ends up going out with this asshole, I'll hit her again.

"And men willing to risk everything to defend them. Compromise our safety, destroy our community. I'll die before I'll let that happen."

We sat there all in silence at his statement. It was like he was threatening us.

He cleared his throat. "So Merle tells me you're his sister, Ariel."

I nodded not having any words to say.

"He was worried about you and your brother. You wouldn't happen to know where he is, do you?" For some reason, it didn't seem like he was asking for Merle. It was at that very moment, I knew this man could not be trusted. He wanted something more than just the location of the group. Even if I knew, I wouldn't tell him.

I took a sip of my water. "Not a damn clue." It's not like it was a lie either. I had no idea where they were.

However, he didn't believe me. "Merle really wants to find him."

"Believe me, I want to, too." I gripped my glass tighter.

"Well, if we can get some more information on your brother's whereabouts, we can send a search party to bring him here. I'm sure he would like to see the two of you again."

"Mhm." His nice guy routine wasn't working. I had no idea how Merle put up with this crap for nearly a year.

"So," Andrea interrupted, seeing things were getting a little heated. "Looks like you're sitting pretty at the end of the world," she jabbed at the Governor.

"Do I strike you as the kind of man who sits pretty?" He smiled flirtatiously at her. I thought I was going to throw up. "You reap what you sow. We're the seed. Now winter has passed, it's time to harvest."

"Time to hope?" Andrea asked. I couldn't believe it. We have been here for less than twenty-four hours and he already had our sassy blonde wrapped around his skinny finger.

"We're going out there and we're taking back what's ours." He leaned forward to get closer to her "Civilization. We will rise again. Only this tme we won't be eating each other."

Andrea lifted her cup with a loose grin on her face. "To civilization, then."

A knocking sounded at the door. The Governor stood. "Excuse me."

Milton looked up at Andrea. "How's the tea?"

When they first offered it to me, I refused. Tea was for stuck up, sophisticated bitches. I was more of a whatever-was-strong-enough-to-knock-me-out kind of person.

I watched the door open from the corner of my eye. Shrumpert entered and leaned in close to the Governor's ear. He whispered something that must have been important. The governor excepted his information and Shrumpert left. He shut the door and looked at the three of us apologetically. "Sorry to cut breakfast short, but this can't wait."

Michonne had had enough. She was through pretending everything was all right when it most definitely wasn't. "We want our weapons."

"Well we can make this meal to go and your weapons will be waiting outside," he offered, "but you should take time to relax. Get you strength back. Have a look around. Who knows? You might like what you see."

The Governor showed us out and thanked us for stopping by. For some reason, he really didn't want us to leave and it was freaking us out.

As soon as we were out of the building, Michonne started expressing her concerns. "I don't trust him."

"I don't either." I shoved my hands in my back pockets as we walked.

"Why not?" Andrea questioned. "Have either of you ever trusted anybody?"

"Don't pull that shit, Andrea. You know too damn well I have."

"Well, you didn't trust me for the longest time."

I laughed. "Gee, I wonder why."

"When are you going to stop throwing that in my face?" she shot at me.

"I'll stop throwing it at you when you stop bringing it up. Besides, it's not something you can exactly forget."

Michonne could see that we were getting off topic. "I've trusted people, too."

"Then give it a day or two, that's all I'm asking. Some time to get our shit together."

"My shit never stopped being together."

"Didn't look that way when Milton asked about your walkers. I'm surprised he didn't get a fork in his eye."

That pissed off even me. "Andrea!"

Michonne placed a hand on my shoulder, letting me know that she got it. It was also a silent 'thank you,' something Michonne didn't seem to do all too often. I was her exception most of the time. She looked back at Andrea. "It was none of his damn business."

Andrea shrugged. "I guess it's one of ours, either."

Michonne and I stopped walking and stared at her, unsure what she was referencing.

It seemed that Andrea had some beef with Michonne out of nowhere. "Seven months together, all we've been through, I still feel like I hardly know you. I'm sorry, it's the truth. You know everything about me, about Ariel."

"You know enough." Michonne was truly offended that Andrea was being this way.

"Those walkers were with us all winter long, protecting us, and you took them out without any hesitation. That had-"

"It was easier than you think." Without another word, Michonne walked away. She did not like the way that Andrea was speaking to her.

Once Michonne was out of earshot, I had a little conversation with Andrea myself. "What the hell is wrong with you? What's with the sudden interest with her walkers?"

"I think we deserve to know."

"Maybe we do, maybe we don't. It doesn't matter. They obviously were something to her, most likely something bad. You have no right to invade her mind like that. Not one damn right, Andrea."

"What is your problem lately?"

"My problem? No, Andrea. What's your problem? You have such a hard on for this place, you don't even want to see the possible danger in staying here. You have to weigh your options. And the way you were looking at Governor. I can see that you've already made up your mind."

She raised her arms at me. "Maybe I already have. I'm guessing Michonne already has, too. You should be yelling at her." Andrea was done talking for once and stormed away.

I was there by myself, watching my last two friends going in separate directions. I sighed. Both had their reasons for choosing what they did. Eventually I was going to have to decide what I want to do. I just wished it was as easy for me as it was for them.

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**A/N: Sorry that I took forever to post. I recently had a lot of things change in my life and I'm just trying to adjust to it all. Please forgive me. I should be posting more for this story and my other stories sometime soon. Again, I am truly sorry and am working harder to try and fit writing back into my life because I love doing it.**

**P.S. If you guys could start leaving reviews that would be freaking awesome! I miss reading them and they are always the highlight of my day! I love to know what you all think of this story.**


	7. Chapter 7: Loud Motors

Andrea, Michonne, and I walked around Woodbury for what seemed like hours. This place was too nice. It made me want to throw up. I had no idea why Merle wanted to live here, let alone have me here. This was never the kind of place we were used to. It was too uppity. I could tell from just a few second glances that these people were not prepared for the world outside those walls. If something were to happen and the wall were to be breached, these people would be so screwed and it's like they don't even know it. It was kind of pathetic actually.

We all had gone our separate ways for a long time. We walked around by ourselves, occasionally seeing each other, but didn't talk. Andrea was pissed at us for no reason and Michonne was pissed at Andrea and wanted to be alone. Instead of going and bothering either of them, I stayed by myself. I tried to find Merle to see if he wanted to talk, but when I asked someone on the wall, they said he was out on a run and that he should be back soon. Until he came back, I was on my own.

Our separate tours were cut short when the sound of loud motors approached the front gates. All the members of the community stopped and stared as men drove army sized vehicles through the front yard. Low murmurs sounded through the crowds. This was something that was most definitely new to the town and no one was sure how to react.

Andrea didn't even wait. She started to walk toward the scene, not waiting for us to catch up. Instead of staying behind and watching from a distance like I normally would have, I followed her. I was feeling curious today. I thought we deserved answers, especially if I was going to stay here. I looked to see if Michonne followed us, but she didn't. Instead, she sat down on a patio chair and stared at us from afar. She didn't approve of us joining in, but at that moment, I didn't care. This was a vital aspect to my decision to stay or go.

I caught site of my brother exited one of the vehicles. So that's where he ran off to. I wanted to ask him directly what the hell was going on in this place, but he was too busy talking to that Governor guy and his assistant to stop and chat with his little sister. I doubt that even if I asked him later he would tell me the truth. I could immediately tell that whatever they were going to spit out to us now would be complete and utter bullshit. The reaction on Milton's face gave that away as soon as the Governor opened his mouth.

Merle saw me but didn't come to make contact. Him and Milton left to do something the Governor told them to do. Milton didn't look too pleased, but Merle was unfazed. All he wanted to do was follow his orders and not think too much about them. This world had certainly changed my brother. Orders was not something he used to take. That was why he ended up in prison so many times. Well, that and drugs.

The Governor climbed on the back of one of the trucks and called for the crowd's attention. Everyone went silent as if they were awaiting the wise words of a courageous leader, something that he was not, but they foolishly ignored that. "We brought in four new people yesterday," he started, slightly nodding to Andrea and I. "One was a helicopter pilot with a National Guard outfit. Even though he's clinging to life, he told us about his convoy on the highway, his men. I promised I'd bring them back here alive. But they didn't have our walls or our fences. Biters got there before we did. Now the men had trucks, the trucks had weapons, food, medicine, things we need. Now, we didn't know them, but we'll honor their sacrifice by not taking what we have here for granted. Won't be long before dark, so go on home. Be thankful for what you have. Watch out for each other." At the end of his speech, the Governor hopped down and the crowd immediately started to disperse without even a second thought. His words moved many of them. No one even bothered to question what was happening. They all just accepted it.

I shook my head, ashamed. These people are so brainwashed. They didn't even care to hear the whole story.

Andrea had this goofy smile on her face. She was just like the rest of them. She bought every word he said without question. This place was making her stupid and reckless, another thing I took into account. I felt the need to stay behind and make sure she was okay. She wasn't acting like herself and I couldn't leave her like that.

The Governor had his eyes on her like she did him. I didn't want to hear any part of their conversation. There were a hell of a lot more interesting things to do around this place than to watch too idiots flirt during the apocalypse. I thought she would have learned from my experience not to get too close to someone in that way during times like this, especially if you feel safe. Eventually something happens where you'll lose them forever. I guess she just stopped paying any attention to the world around her as soon as she had the slightest feeling of security. Big mistake on her part, but I wasn't going to say anything. She wouldn't listen and she would get upset with me. It would just be better for both of us to let her find out how stupid she was being on her own.

I nudged her arm as the Governor started to approach us. "I'm going to go see what Michonne's up to. Don't take too long. We should talk more about this later."

Andrea hardly even acknowledged my presence. Her thoughts were completely on the darkly dressed leader of this small community. At that moment, to her, nothing else mattered.

I just shook my head and mumbled "Whatever," under my breath. I had a feeling we weren't going to be having any kind of discussion about this place after all.

Michonne hadn't moved from the place we had left her. She didn't even look at me when I met up to her. Her eyes were fixed on the trucks and Andrea. I could see it in her eyes that she was disgusted by this scene. I sat in the empty seat beside her. "I guarantee that she'll be fucking him within a week."

That got her attention. Michonne's face twisted in several different directions.

I crossed my arms and leaned back in the chair. "What? I can tell. They both got that 'come fuck me' look plastered on their faces. I've seen her make that face before."

"When she slept with your boyfriend?"

I chuckled a little and raised a finger. "Tried to sleep with. Tried to sleep with. There's a difference."

Michonne turned her attention back to the trucks and practically ignored my attempt at humor.

I dropped my mini smile. "What's on your mind, Michonne?"

Her face was serious and stern. Her eyes didn't move and she exhaled slowly as she spoke. "Something doesn't sound right."

"Well, yeah. That I know. That story he told up there on his 'pedestal' was some made up bullshit. That was too easy to see. But there's something else, isn't there?"

Michonne's mouth puckered. "These people are so wrapped around this guy's thumb. They can't even see the flaw in the story."

"What flaw is that?"

"They were a group of skillfully trained men that belonged to the National Guard and even with all of their training and ammunition, they got taken out by walkers. But these guys have minimal to no experience and they took out the walkers and grabbed the trucks with no problem?"

I shrugged. "Maybe the walkers cleared out?"

Michonne scrunched her face and stared at me with an expression she only uses when something sounds too moronic. Honestly, I knew how stupid it sounded as soon as the words left my lips.

"Yeah, you're right. Something isn't right here, Michonne. What are we gonna do?"

She believed answer was simple. "Leave."

"And then what?"

"Survive."

"It's not as simple as you're making it sound."

"We've done it for the past seven or eight months."

"And those past seven or eight months have sucked. Despite having the two of you, it was some of the worst months of my life." Looking back, that wasn't an exaggeration. My childhood was hell, but these past few months had been worse. I felt a deep hole in me that would never be repaired every minute we were out there.

"You're only saying that because you lost mostly everything."

"I'll admit, that was part of it, but there were other factors. Here, we have walls, human contact, family."

"_You_ have family here, Ariel."

"I wasn't talking about Merle. He wasn't there for me through the worst periods of my life like family should be. He is my brother, though. I can't just leave that behind. and besides, I thought the three of us were a family."

Michonne didn't know how to respond to that. It was like she didn't want to admit that I was right on this.

"I think we should stick together no matter what. Splitting up will be devastating for all of us."

This time, Michonne didn't answer with words. She stood up and left me behind. I called to her several times, but she ignored me.

I rested my elbows on my knees and folded my hands. "Fuck me."

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**A/N: Thank you all for reading. I can't wait for your reviews! I'm sorry this one was so short. I didn't want to stretch this one out too much. I Should have another one up soon. **


	8. Chapter 8: Another Day

Another day at Woodbury, another day of thinking. I didn't sleep last night. I was too bothered by the decision that I needed to make. I was haunted and it wasn't going to go away until I decide. Even then, I doubt I'll be able to get that off of my mind. The guilt of my choice was going to kill me. We agreed last night to all leave today, but I knew that wasn't going to happen. Andrea was going to do something to drag this out more than it needed to be. It didn't matter. I needed the time. I just wished the two of them could agree on one thing so they wouldn't make me choose.

I sat by myself and basked in the sun of the day for most of the day. I was tired of looking around, never actually doing anything. I would rather be sitting, relaxing, and getting a nice tan than to walk around aimlessly one more minute. Lucky for me, these people didn't exactly trust me all that much so they all kept their distance.

I felt a rough tapping on my leg. I quickly opened me one eye to be blinded by a tall silhouette in the "What do you want, Michonne?"

"We need to get out of here."

I rubbed my eyes and sat forward. "Why now?"

"I was checking out those trucks they brought in. They have bullet holes in them."

"They were the military. They were bound to have bullet holes in them, especially after this hell."

"They were entrance holes, hundreds of them. They were shot at. They were fresh, too. There was no way that was from anything from before the dead started rising."

That's when I started to take her a little more seriously. "So what are you theories?"

"I only have one."

"You think the Governor went and killed all of those men for their guns?"

She only nodded at me.

"I don't know, Michonne. That seems a little ridiculous, even to me."

"Why?"

I sighed. "I know my brother. He's done some shitty things, but killing people? No. That's not him. There was no way in hell he'd go along with something like that."

"So you're basing your entire judgement on something your brother probably wouldn't do? That's fucking stupid, Ariel."

"What else do you want me to do, Michonne? You want me to leave with you? We're doing that already. You can stop trying to convince us to go. You won."

"What's your problem?"

"Not a damn thing."

"Bullshit."

I stood up to her. "What do you want from me, Michonne. We're getting out. There's no need to go around and see if these guys are a threat anymore. It doesn't even matter. It's time to let it alone. Let's just get out of here before you go snooping too much and they stop being nice." I started to walk away, but she didn't follow.

"You don't want to leave do you?"

I huffed and looked back to her. "What?"

"You heard me. You don't want to leave."

I lifted my arms and shrugged. "I don't know what I want. Does it even matter anymore? We're leaving this afternoon and that's final."

She hated the way I said that, but I didn't care. We needed to pick one, so I did. I went where they wanted to go. I was done arguing about it.

The two of us walked back to our room in silence. Michonne wanted to say something to me, but decided against it. I wasn't in any mood to discuss this matter any further. I was tired and just wanted it to end.

Andrea was in the room waiting for us. She sat by the window and stared at the little town below.

Mihchone didn't waste a minute. She started to grab our things and throw them into a bag, ignoring the fact that Andrea and I just stood there.

I sighed. "We need a plan, Michonne."

She stopped what she was doing and looked up. Without another word she pulled out a map from her smaller bag. "If we leave soon, we'll get a few hours on the road before dusk."

Andrea pulled out a little of her attitude. "Where are we heading?"

"I'm thinking the coast. We have the water completely on one side, maybe we find a boat. Best thing we can do is find an island."

"And if the coast isn't safe?"

"Yeah, I mean. We can't be the first ones with that idea." I crossed my arms and leaned against the wall.

"Keep moving," was Michonne's solution.

"Let's say the coast is safe. Then what do we do? Just grow old, live off the sea by ourselves?"

Michonne didn't look up from the map. "I'd rather take my chances out there than stay here."

"Because your gut tells you there's something off about this place - about the Governor?"

"It's kept us alive this long."

Andrea nodded. "That's true."

I grabbed one of the spare maps Michonne had laying around. I circled every place we had been, including the farm, in red marker. "Um, guys. I'm going to talk to my brother real quick before we head out."

Michonne didn't fight me for once and just nodded.

I exited the building and found him quickly out front. "Got a minute?"

"Sure." The two of us went between two buildings in the shade. I handed him the map. "What's this?"

"It's every place we had ever been. The farms on there, too. I didn't find Daryl anywhere, but maybe you'll have better luck than me."

He opened it and took a quick glance. "Oh, yeah. You were right off Route 9 right before it becomes Dahlonega Highway. And you're saying that the farmhouse is only about a day's walk from there?"

"Give or take, yeah. Be careful there, though. There was a reason we didn't stay. Walkers were everywhere." I sighed and pointed on the map. "This is where we looked for Sophia, Carol's little girl. We even made it all the way up there. She didn't make it, unfortunately." Then I let out a small giggle. "Daryl and I took quiet the tumble down the cliff there one day when we were out looking. That fall should have killed us, but somehow it didn't. We managed to climb back up that cliff and walk back to the farm. Man that sucked. What made it even worse is we looked like complete shit. The other groups members thought we got bit and turned into walkers. Andrea wasn't close enough to see that we were still alive, so she took a shot. Good thing she was a shitty shot back then. Grazed Daryl right on the side of his head. I screamed in horror, then passed out."

"So, like you used to when we would go out drinking."

"Exactly like that." I dropped my smile. "That farm was the last time I saw him. Knowing Daryl, he's probably out there now doing whatever it takes to survive. He probably gave up on looking for me. That's okay, though. No matter how hard either of us would try, we're never going to see each other again." I flipped my hair out of my face. "If you find him, tell him that I was alive and doing well. Tell him that Andrea is alive, too. I'm sure it will give him enough hope to carry on a little bit longer."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me? We could tell him together."

I hung my head. "This place isn't for me, Merle."

"It ain't for me either, but yet, here I am."

"Yeah, and I still don't get that, but that's your business." I brought my head back up with an idea. "You know, you could come with us instead."

"And and go back to fighting for my life every second of every day? No thanks. I'll take the warm bed over going back out there any day."

I nodded. "Makes sense."

"You can stay. It would be nice to know that you're safe."

"Since when have you ever cared if I was safe."

He stuck his finger in my face. "You never gave me enough credit. I always had your back, even before the world went to shit. You just hated me so much and refused to see all the good I did for you."

"Yeah? Okay, name one thing you did for me."

"Fine. Remember that bar fight I started about ten years ago in that bar, Roy's?"

"Yeah, the guy pulled a knife on you, but you took him down and got arrested for it."

"Did I ever tell you why I started that fight?"

"I never cared to ask because you had the keys to the car and Daryl and I had to walk home."

"It wasn't that long of a walk."

"It was five or six miles, Merle. Imagine trying to walk all that way after having a few."

"Huh, guess I never thought of it like that. Anyway, that guy was talking shit about you and how he was gonna take you home, whether you liked it or not."

I tilted my head. "So you beat the shit of him for me?"

"Yeah, I did and I went to jail."

I huffed. "Okay. I'll give you that one. You're right. I always did treat you like shit, but you weren't always the nicest brother either."

"I never said I was."

"Okay. At least we're on the same page now."

He chuckled. "At least. You should stay."

"And just leave Andrea and Michonne. I can't do that, Merle."

"I understand. That was always one downfall you and Daryl had."

"And what's that?"

"You're loyalty."

"That's not always a bad thing."

"That's not always a good thing, either."

"Okay, point made. I'll see you before we leave, Merle." I turned and walked back to our building. How can I leave my brother like this? He was right. I was too loyal. My loyalty was going to get me killed.

I walked to our room and discovered only one roommate present. "Where did Andrea go?"

"To get our stuff from the Governor."

"You sent her by herself? I thought you didn't trust him?"

"I don't, but she does. She wouldn't let me go with her."

I sighed heavily and put my hands on my hips. "Okay. Well, let's get our stuff out of here and wait for her by the gate. That way we can leave as soon as she's ready."

"Yeah. Good idea."

We picked up our things and walked these hallowed halls one last time. It dawned on me that this was the last time I would ever see my brother again. At least this time I would get a proper good bye, unlike Atlanta. Something didn't feel right about leaving him here, though. I used to hate his guts, but this world has changed my feelings about Merle. He was my only family and I was about to leave him behind.

We waited outside for about ten minutes. I wanted Andrea to hurry up. I wanted to leave this place before I changed my mind. That was the last thing I wanted.

Eventually, Andrea walked up with Merle right behind her. He was carrying our weapons, something I was glad to see. He handed Michonne her sword, Andrea her gun, and me my knives. It felt better having them on my person.

"You're sure now?" Merle asked one last time.

"Yeah."

He nodded once. "Okay then. It was nice to see you again, Baby Sis."

"You too, Merle."

Andrea pulled me and Michonne aside. "I think we should wait to leave."

"Are you kidding me?" I spat at her.

"I thought we had an agreement." Michonne was beyond pissed off.

"We can always leave tomorrow or the following day."

"The following day?"

"We don't want to walk into trouble that we can't get out of," Andrea explained.

"Tell me about it."

"Michonne, it is just a day or two."

Michonne dropped her shoulders. "I heard you the first time."

"Andrea, staying here isn't going to prevent any trouble we encounter out there. We might as well just go now while we're ready." I was tired of this game. Choose one already.

"I just think it would be better to wait a little."

"You say that every time we are about to leave."

"I'm not gonna stand here and argue." Michonne picked up our bags and walked back to the building.

I raised my arms. "What the fuck?"

"It's better if we take another day."

"Whatever, Andrea." I stomped away. I met Merle once again. "I guess we're staying another day."

"Well, ain't that just peachy," he said with a grin.

"Just fucking peachy."

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**A/N: Please review guys! This story is about to pick up better. I promise!**


	9. Chapter 9: Sneaky Lately

Dogs ran around the yards, banners hung from the buildings, tents and umbrellas were set up in the streets. It was a fucking festival in the middle of the apocalypse. What was wrong with these people? People on the other side of those walls were dying and they're in here celebrating.

Merle walked over to the other side of the street, where I stood trying to avoid the festivities. He handed me green cup with a cold liquid.

"What's this? I asked.

"A drink. It's hot out here."

"No shit, Sherlock. It's cold."

He nodded. "Good job, Sweetheart. You can still tell hot from cold."

"Bite me." I took a sip of the colder water. "How?" As much as I questioned it, I missed the cooling sensation of cold water sliding my throat.

"We have a generator, keeps things cold around here."

"It seems like a waste of energy to me."

He drank from his own cup. "Does it taste good?"

"Yeah."

"Then it ain't no waste. If you stay, you can get this more often." He lifted his eyebrows and glass.

I chuckled once. "Judging by the rate this decision is taking, I'm sure we're never going to leave."

Merle nudged my shoulder. "Good."

I drank more of my water. "So what's going on tonight?"

He smiled his evil, creepy smile. "You're gonna have to wait and see, Little Sis."

"Well, obviously it's something big because the Governor is throwing this big fucking party in the middle of the end of the world."

"Oh, it is."

"And you won't tell me?"

"Not a chance in hell."

"And why is that?"

"Because I want you to be surprised."

Surprise me? I was never a huge fan of Merle's 'surprises' growing up. I wasn't sure if I wanted to trust him. "I'm sure there's nothing left that can surprise me these days."

"Trust me. You're gonna be plenty surprised."

I tilted my head. "Fine. I'll trust you. But if it sucks, you're the one I'm gonna be coming after," I joked.

He laughed. "I wouldn't expect anything less." A few seconds later, Merle pointed over at Michonne. "What's wrong with your mute?"

"She wanted to leave this place days ago and Andrea keeps putting it off."

"She can at least enjoy this while she can."

"Nah, that's not really her style. She doesn't trust this place all that much."

"So what? Its a warm bed, a secure place to live."

I shook my head. "She doesn't see it that way. She doesn't trust the Governor. Neither do I really."

"Why is that?"

"Something ain't right about him, Merle. There's something there that I just can't trust." I shifted my weight. "What are your thoughts on him?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean, can I trust him? Can we trust him?" I was referring to Andrea, Michonne, and myself. I figured that if I needed this question answered, I might as well go to one of the men that see him the most.

He sipped his drink before answering. "I would say so. I trust him."

"So he's a good leader?"

"Yeah, he's a good leader." There was something in my brother's eyes that bothered me. It was like he didn't want to say the wrong thing about the Governor. It was like he wanted to tell me something, but couldn't because of all the people around. It made me even more weary of this place.

Everyone started to gather around the Governor as he called them all over.

"I guess we should go join them."

Merle held out his arm. "After you."

The two of us stood in the back of the crowd. I could see the top of Andrea's head in the front row. I shook my head. She had fallen head over heels for this place and the Governor.

"All right," he called. "Hey. The first time we gathered, there was nine of us holed up in an apartment with Spam and saltine crackers. Well, look at us now. We built a place we call home. May be held together with duct tape and string, but it works. It's ours. I'll take it. So today we celebrate how far we've come. We remember those we've lost. We raise a glass... to us." He got everyone cheering and excited.

I looked over at my brother. "He's a good talker."

He nodded. "Yes he is."

"Could have been such a good politician. The bullshit just spills out of his mouth."

"Hey. You may think it's bullshit, but what he says is true." I couldn't believe that this guy even had my brother wrapped around his finger.

I put my glass to my lips. "Agree to disagree."

After a moment or two of silence, Merle ask me a question. "So what's your plan?"

"Plan for what?"

"When are you leaving?"

I looked down at the ground. "Either today or tomorrow. I'm not exactly sure. It all depends on if Michonne can convince Andrea to leave or not."

"I'm gonna tell you again and I want you to hear me, you're welcome to stay here." There was sincerity in Merle's voice.

I swallowed the remaining water. "We'll see," I finally said.

"Oh. A 'We'll see.' I'll take it." Merle patted my shoulder. "There's something I gotta go take care of. I'll catch up to you later, Baby Sis."

"See ya, Big Bro."

He patted me once more and went away. I said 'we'll see.' That gave him some hope. I shouldn't have said that. The chances of me leaving this place were way to high to give my brother false hope like that.

"Hey. Are you enjoying the party?" Andrea's voice rang from behind me.

"It's all right. It ain't no college rager, but it'll do."

Andrea chuckled. "I never thought I'd be at another party."

"Me either."

"If we stay, it could be like this more."

"Andrea-"

"I know, I know. Michonne's gut tells her something's wrong here and we need to get out, but I just like to think of what it would be like if we did stay."

"It's best not to think that way."

"Why not?"

"Because you're gonna end up missing it even more when we leave."

Andrea sighed. "Ariel, have you even thought about staying or do you just wanna do whatever Michonne says?"

I stayed quiet, not wanting to answer. It was a little bit of both, actually. I have thought long and hard about staying here with Merle and other people. Michonne's feeling is what has been stopping me.

"What about your brother?" She didn't say his name. She used what he was to me, family. She was trying to play some kind of trick on me.

"He'll be fine without me. He was before."

"Will you be fine without him?"

Again, I stayed quiet.

Knowing that I wasn't going to answer, Andrea changed the subject. "Where is Michonne anyway?"

"She's back there." I turned and pointed behind us. To my surprise, she was gone. "What the hell?"

"She probably went back inside to get away from the people or to plan our escape. She seemed pretty miserable today."

"Michonne's been miserable ever since we got here. It's just been getting worse with each passing day."

Andrea agreed. "That's very true. We shouldn't let her ruin our good time, though. Come on. Let's go enjoy the party."

"Yeah, okay." I couldn't stop staring at the empty space that once held Michonne. Where the hell did she go? She wouldn't normally disappear on us like that. She had a deep distrust for this place. There was no chance that she would go anywhere alone or leave us to fend for ourselves. She was a good woman like that.

For the next hour or so, I walked around the plaza with Andrea. Together, the two of us made small talk with the locals. I didn't really have anything in common with any of these people since they hardly even knew what it was like outside those walls. I had been out there for so long, I had forgotten what else there was to talk about.

Before I knew it, Merle was tapping on both of our shoulders. "You two need to come with me. It's urgent."

"What's wrong?" I asked my brother.

"The Governor needs to see you. That's all I can say. He'll explain once you get there."

"Okay."

Andrea and I walked up to the Governor's apartment above where the party was being held. Andrea was the first to knock, afraid something might have happened.

Once the Governor answered the door, Andrea jumped in. "What's wrong? Merle said it was urgent."

He closed the door behind us. "I need your help. It's Michonne."

"What about her?"

When he said her name, the hairs on my arms stood up. "Is she all right?"

"She's fine. She's fine. She broke in, stole her weapon."

"She can't steal something that's hers." Andrea made a good point.

The Governor continued. "Then she went into a private place and slaughtered half a dozen captive biters."

My eyes widened. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Back up. Captive biters?"

"Why would you have captive biters?" Andrea asked more politely than I would have.

He walked over to his table. "There's a good reason I don't want to get into right now. Point is, I tried to talk to her about it and she pulled her sword on me. Held it to my throat." He paused and looked directly at us. "Can't imagine that surprises either of you."

"She wouldn't do that unless she felt threatened."

"So you must have said something to piss her off," I explained to him.

"She makes people uncomfortable. Some people want her to leave and I don't want that. It's ugly out there and it's getting worse every day. But she put my back against the wall here." I could see the bullshit spilling from his eyes. It was pretty obvious there was something more to it that he wasn't telling us. I just couldn't believe that Andrea refused to see it.

Andrea shifted uncomfortably. "What are you saying?"

"I'm saying what works out there doesn't work in here. You know, we're not barbarians."

I crossed my arms. "When you're out there as long as we were, you find it difficult to turn off your natural instincts. You can't blame her for that."

"I know and I understand. I truly do. Just please go and talk to her. Maybe she would listen to you two better than she has me."

I shook my head and tried to wrap myself around the idea. "Fine. We'll go right now." Without giving her a chance to say anything else, I grabbed Andrea's hand and led her out. Once we were clear of any ears I leaned over to her and whispered. "We need to talk to Michonne and hear what she said happened."

"Ariel, what he said could have been the truth. She has been real sneaky lately."

"It could be. It could not be. I'm not going to decide until I hear it from her."


	10. Chapter 10: Calming Breeze

Andrea pushed open the door to find Michonne frantically packing bags. "We got to talk."

"We got to go," Michonne responded.

I leaned against the wall and Andrea crossed her arms. "The Governor told us what happened. Michonne, you can't do things like this. You're freaking people out. You're freaking us out."

"Woah. Don't include me here, Andrea. Michonne is being herself. She's acting completely rational to me."

Andrea shot me a look. "Maybe you should wait outside."

"To hell I will," I shot back. "We need to talk about this. I'm apart of this as much as you are. Since when did you think it was okay to start bossing people around?"

"Since I seem to be the only one who sees that this place could be an opportunity for the three of us."

"But you won't take a minute to see if this place is too good to true or not. That's all Michonne was looking for since you refuse to."

Michonne was completely ignoring the conversation that was happening behind her. "The northeast wall is guarded by some girl. We can escape there after dark."

"We are not prisoners here," Andrea defended.

"No one who comes here leaves."

"What are you talking about? It's safe. There's food, there's shelter. There's people for God's sake."

"That might be why no one leaves, Michonne. There's some sense of what used to be." I wasn't trying to take anyone's side in this. I trusted and respected both women too much to choose between them.

"That's what they show you," Michonne snapped. "But you can't leave unless they make you."

"You are not making any sense." Andrea was just as confused as I was. "Mich, maybe you need to sit for a minute."

"You need to trust me."

"And you need to give me more to go on. We got a good thing going here."

"I thought this was temporary."

"So did I." I thought the decision was made to leave today. All of a sudden we're staying here longer.

"And I think we need this. I want to give this place a real shot."

"I tried."

"Breaking into houses? That is not trying. That is sabotaging."

"You're trying to make us all leave. Michonne, as much as I think you're right, you can't do that. You can't force us out." I hated doing this. Staying neutral was one of the hardest things I had ever attempted and I was failing miserably.

"This place is not what they say it is."

"So what? We just pack up and leave, just like that?" I wasn't feeling real great about disapearing in the middle of the night. It would be more dangerous.

"Just like that."

"Michonne, we can leave if we want to. We just need to go to the gate and tell them we want out. They won't keep us."

"Yes, they will."

"Let's go see then." Andrea grabbed an armful of bags and forced open the door. Michonne didn't hesitate. She followed everything Andrea did.

I stared at the remaining bags on the floor. Was this really it? Were we really going this time? I froze. I wasn't ready to decide what I want to do. I can't leave but I can't stay. I sighed. I didn't have a choice. My two best friends were on the way out. I wasn't going to lose any more people I loved. I grabbed the bags and jogged to catch up to Michonne and Andrea.

The three of us marched through the crowd of people that lined the streets. Eyes caught our faces and our bags.

My heart nearly stopped when I heard Merle's voice behind us. "Hey, hey, hey, girls. Where y'all off to in such a hurry? Huh?"

I stopped and watched him run up to us. Michonne grabbed my arm and pulled me forward. She desperately wanted the three of us out of here.

"Hey, come on, now. Come on. Hey, hey, hey. Y'all are breaking my heart running away like that."

"We're leaving," were the only words Michonne said.

I pulled my arm out of Michonne's grasp. I wasn't going to be cold to my brother. At one time, yes, I would have gladly left him in the dust. Not now. Now, things are different.

"It's almost curfew." His voice cracked slightly. "I'd have to arrange an escort. I mean, the party's still going on."

I finally said something. "Merle, it's time."

He nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yeah, we are."

"All right. Wait here a second." Merle walked up to one of the guys on the top of the wall.

Andrea was growing impatient. She marched away. "The Governor told us we were free to come and go whenever we liked."

Merle put his hand up to stop her. "Sweetheart, nothing personal here, but you're gonna have to step back."

Taken aback, she walked slowly back to us. In that one second, she started to believe what Michonne was preaching.

"See?" Michonne asked. "There's always a reason why we can't leave yet."

A shout sounded from the wall. "Clear."

Merle was leaning against the gate. "Now if I was y'all, I'd find some shelter before nightfall." He lifted the lock and pulled the gate wide open.

I shook my head. Michonne was wrong.

She couldn't believe what she was seeing. "They knew we were coming. This was all for show."

"Do you hear yourself? How can you know that? And why would they bother?"

"Ladies," Merle urged.

"Close the gates," Andrea demanded.

"No," Michonne objected.

"I practically begged the Governor to let you stay."

"I didn't ask for that."

"You didn't have to. That's what friends do for each other."

"It goes both ways."

"Woah, woah." I put my arm between them. "Let's just take a step back here."

Andrea ignored me. "So you want to run around out there with walkers on chains eating twigs? Is that right?"

"Andrea, step back."

Michonne was proud of those months we spent out there. "We held our own."

"Eight months. Eight months on the road moving place to place, scavenging, living in a meat locker. That was no life. I'm tired. I'm tired. I don't have another eight months in me. Not like that. And you, I..."

"What about me?"

"I'm afraid you're gonna disappear."

I dropped my arm. I didn't give it much thought, but Andrea was right. Michonne always did give off that vibe that she wouldn't be around long enough.

"We always talked about this place, didn't we? A refuge. That idea is what kept us going."

Andrea's words didn't matter. Michonne's mind was already made up. "Are you coming or not?"

"Don't do this. Don't give me an ultimatum. Not after everything."

"Are you coming or not?" Michonne repeated to her.

Andrea didn't say anything, but that said enough.

Michonne pushed past her. "You'd just slow us down anyway."

I instinctively started to follow. We were leaving. That was the plan. Leave. Don't look back. Get out while you can. Don't look back. Don't look back.

I looked up from the ground and saw Merle eyeing me. I couldn't do it. I couldn't leave him again. "I can't." The words just barely escaped my lips.

Michonne turned, wide eyed.

"I'm sorry, Michonne. I can't leave. I can't go back out there."

"Not you too."

"Why don't you just stay here? We can work this out."

She shook her head. "I can't believe you, of all people, would fall for their lies."

"I'm not, Michonne." My stare moved quickly to Merle then back to her.

"I see." She nodded.

"I'm sorry."

This time, she didn't say a word. Michonne turned from Andrea and I and walked away. Merle pushed the door closed, separating us from her. Andrea watched her leave through the crack in the gate. I just stayed where she left me.

It seemed like forever, but it was only a few seconds before Andrea nudged my shoulder. "Come on. We need to put these away." She lifted the bags slightly and started to walk to our room.

I only nodded, not sure what to say. Michonne was such a good friend and I just let her leave.

Once we were back to our room, I dropped the bags and sat on the bed.

Andrea leaned against the wall. "Do you want to go out and join the rest of the party?"

I shook my head once. "She's not here anymore, Andrea, but she's still right. We need to be careful around here."

"Ariel-"

"Promise me, Andrea, you'll keep your guard up."

She blinked once and then answered. "Okay."

"Good."

We stayed in the silence for a little while until Andrea couldn't take it anymore. She left without saying another word to me. She knew I was pissed about Michonne leaving.

Honestly, I wasn't pissed about her leaving. She did what she thought was best for her. I just wish she decided to stay with us here. If I was going to mad at anything, it would have to be this world. We are thrown tough choices every damn day. I just wanted there to be one day where I didn't have to decide anything at all.

After awhile, I emerged from the bedroom and made my way down to the street. I didn't talk to anyone. I only walked to the closest bench and sat down there. The slight breeze blew across my face and through my hair. It was calming. It was getting darker and they would want me to go in for curfew, but I didn't care. I was a grown woman. They weren't going to tell me what to do.

I didn't even notice him at first, but Merle sat beside me. "You all right?"

"Yeah. I'm fine." I didn't look at him. He knew I was lying, but didn't say anything about it.

"I'm glad you decided to stay."

"Yup."

"Are you going to the thing tonight?"

"I'm not in the mood. I don't even know what it is."

He grinned. "It will cheer you up."

"Merle-"

"Ariel, come on. You can't spend your life moping around."

"It's been an hour."

"And that's long enough. Follow the people and grab a seat in front. You're gonna want to be up close for this one."

He really wanted me there. "Fine."

Merle tapped my arm. "That's my girl. I have to go help with the thing. Don't be late."

"I won't." I had no idea what I was in for. I probably wouldn't even pay attention to what would be going on. I have too much on my mind to care.


	11. Chapter 11: Idiotic Even For You

Most everyone that lived in this little town gathered in the makeshift arena for whatever they had planned for this evening. Benches lined both sides and everything was lit up by the fires that were set all around. They even had music playing over everything. I just hoped that it wasn't too loud. The last thing I needed was for this place to be attacked by walkers. Looking around, the only thing I could think was that this place had everything and that was never a good thing. Something was bound to happen. It was just a matter of when.

I picked a seat on the far end of the arena. I didn't want to be front and center for whatever surprise I was in store for so I sat in the second row. Everyone was more gathered in the middle so I was a bit isolated from the group. I didn't mind really. I didn't know anyone and would have felt more awkward sitting next to people I didn't know.

I didn't see Merle anywhere. I swear, if he's not even here, I'm going to kick his ass. I would never have come if he wasn't going to be here. I did, however, see Andrea walk in with the Governor. I waved to her and smiled slightly. I tried to wave her over and pointed to the seat next to me. She only waved at me and followed the Governor to the upper levels instead of joining me. That figures. How did I not see that one coming?

The crowd yelled and screamed as they waited. They were obviously excited for something. Even children were standing with their parents, cheering. The music cut out, signaling the beginning of the show and the crowd erupted.

Bright lights started to shine on individual walkers chained to polls. From the looks of it, these ones had been that way for a while. There were five or six of them in a circle. They tried their damnedest to break out and rip the throats of each and every one of us. My eyes went wide at the horrifying sight.

Martinez came jumping out of the sidelines wearing an open hoodie without a shirt underneath it. Half the crowd yelled in his favor. The other half waited for their favorite to enter. I had only one guess of who that could be.

"Yeah!" My brother yelled as he entered the ring of hell. He ran around raising his hands and each time, the crowd screamed for him. I on the other hand just sat there and stared at him. What the hell is he doing with Martinez in a ring surrounded by walkers? Whatever it was going to be, I had a feeling that I wasn't going to like it very much. If Merle were to die because of this, I'm going to kill him. He left Daryl and me once. I'd be damned if I let it happen again.

He gave me a quick wave as he continued his way around. I sat there and didn't join in on the chant that the other people had started. "Merle! Merle! Merle!"

Merle raised his one hand and yelled over the crowd. "I'm gonna kick his ass one-handed. Oh, the hell with it. No-handed." He dropped down to the ground and did a push up with his metal arm as he put his good hand behind his back. Martinez laughed at him.

A third person entered the ring. I didn't know his name, but he lifted a something in the air. I assumed that he was going to be the referee for whatever is about to go down in front of us.

The walkers were becoming more and more rattled as all of this is happening. They really wanted to get out.

At the sound of a whistle. Martinez and Merle were left in the ring. Merle was the one to make the first move, kicking Martinez directly in the face. Martinez fell to the ground. It took him a couple seconds to get back up. I hoped this would be over quickly. Martinez threw his first punch, but missed. Merle fired back several times. With each punch, my stomach jumped. I didn't like what I was seeing. There was no reason for this violence when there was already so much outside the gates.

I rose from my seat when Martinez caught Merle and pushed him toward the walker. I thought that it might have been it for my brother. Luckily. he was able to get a good jump in and kicked the walker back. He was able to get Martinez to the ground once again.

The ref blew the whistle once more and both men stopped. I was led with a false sense of hope right then. I thought it was over, but I was wrong. It was about to get more intense and painstaking. The referee loosened the chains and the walkers were able to step closer to the fighters.

Merle saw this as an opportunity. He grabbed Martinez and shoved him into one of the walkers. He kicked his opponent and then shoved the walker away. Things to this extent went on for several minutes until Martinez couldn't get up anymore. Merle placed his foot on the man and started to count in Spanish. "Uno! Dos! Tres!" The final whistle blew and the crowd cheered once again. Merle had won the fight. He better be prepared for another fight because as soon as the crowd clears there was going to be another one and it wasn't going to be a pretty sight.

When Merle picked Martinez off the ground, the Governor entered the ring. The ref brought the walkers back so the Governor wouldn't be in any danger. The Governor waited there while the crowd quieted down. "I hope you all enjoyed the fight tonight." The crowd cheered in response. "Good. Good. I'm glad to hear it. I'm glad we can come together in this way and enjoy some quality entertainment. Let's hear it for the fighters one more time!" The people obeyed and clapped for Merle and Martinez one more time. "Now that it's over, it's time to head back to your homes. We'll see everyone in the morning."

The crowd began to disperse, but I stayed put. I waited until everyone was cleared before I approached Merle.

The Governor walked up to me after he saw that I was still sitting there. "I thought I told everyone to go home."

"I'm waiting for Merle," I responded.

"Are you going to congratulate him on his win tonight?"

I lifted an eyebrow. "Something like that."

The Governor grinned. "All right. Just try not to take too long. When it's dark like this, I prefer people to be in their homes. It's safer that way."

"I can handle myself, thanks."

"I'm sure you can." Without another word, the Governor left. That guy gives me the creeps. I wished he would just stay away from me.

I'm glad he left before Merle came out. I really wanted to talk to him alone. I didn't want anyone to hear the words that were about to be exchanged. I ended up waiting for about twenty minutes before everyone was gone and another ten for Merle to reappear.

He approached me with a huge grin on his face and his arms open wide. "Hey, Baby Sis. Come to congratulate me?"

I stood up with my arms crossed. "Far from it."

Merle dropped his arms. "What crawled up your ass?"

"What the hell was this?"

"What are ya talking about?"

"What am I talking about? Merle, you almost fed Martinez to walkers. You were almost walker food yourself. And for what? For a stupid fight? How am I not supposed to be pissed about this? This was idiotic, even for you."

He grinned. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down there girly. We weren't in no danger."

"What are you talking about?"

"We took the biter's teeth out. Neither of us were gonna get bit."

I dropped my arms. "You're fucking with me, right?"

"No, I ain't fucking with ya. They weren't gonna bit us because they couldn't." He chuckled. "Your panties are always in a bunch. You need to learn how to relax, Girl."

I stared at him for a second, then I balled my hand and threw it against his arm. "That's for making me think you were going to die." I balled the other hand and did the same thing. "And that was for not telling me what the hell this was earlier."

He touched both spots where I had punched him. "Damn, Ariel. You have gotten much stronger this past year, haven't you?"

"Had to. Can't be weak in this world."

"Got that right."

"You still haven't told me why you were doing this."

"It's for entertainment."

"Entertainment?"

"Yeah. I thought you would like it, not bitch about it. We used to watch fights on TV all the time. You had fun then."

I scoffed at his assumption. "Merle, Daryl and I went with you to watch the fights at your drug dealer's house because we didn't want to stay home with Dad. Just because it was the better option, doesn't mean I liked watching them."

"No, you're lying. I remember you cheering and getting pretty into it."

"No, Merle. You were in the corner getting high. You don't really know what you saw."

He laughed. "Yeah, you may be right."

"I know I am."

He placed his hand on my shoulder. "You should go home and get some rest. It's been a long day for ya."

"Yeah. I know. But before I go, can you just promise to tell me before you do something dumb like this again? I don't like surprises."

"Fine. You win. I'll tell you," he agreed.

"Thank you. See ya later, Merle." I started to walk back to the room Andrea and I shared.

"See ya, Baby Sis."

I stopped and scowled at him. "Will you stop calling me that?"

"Why? Does it bother you?"

"Yes. It does."

"Then no. Night, Baby Sis."

"Screw you, Merle," I called and continued walking.

* * *

**A/N: I am so sorry that it took this long to post another chapter. My laptop broke and I had no way to write. I tried to do it on my phone but it just wasn't working out. I decided to try to use the desktop computer that I have. It works this way but it is over 10 years old so it's a bit slow. I'm going to try and post chapters more often since I found a way to do it. Again, I am extremely sorry that I took forever to write this and I hope it was worth the wait. I'm already working on the next one so expect another chapter within the next week. I love you all and thank you so much for reading.**


	12. Chapter 12: So Many Questions

After the events of yesterday, I slept surprisingly well. I actually slept in. I couldn't remember the last time I did that. Even before the apocalypse I was an early riser. Actually, I didn't sleep much at all. When the world ended, I didn't have to change my sleep schedule all that much.

I checked the bed next to mine, but it was empty. Andrea used to always wake me up before she went anywhere when we were out on the road. I guess now she thinks this place is safe so we don't have to do that anymore. I believe she is wrong, but she won't listen to me. She never really did. Andrea was always the kind of person to make up her own rules and expected everyone to follow them without question.

We have been at Woodbury for a few days and my uneasiness still hadn't passed. I know I'm supposed to be weary of every new place we go to, but if this place was safe, the feeling would have went away after a while. For some reason, I felt more secure when we were walking along abandoned roads and scavenging old homes. Staying in one place was just not something I had ever been used to. I thought that may be the reason for my fear. Then I remembered that I didn't have this feeling back at the farm. I'm not sure if that was because I was with the people I loved or if I thought we were truly safe. Either way, I'm not feeling it in the little town of Woodbury.

I walked down to the public streets. The sun hit me pretty hard, but my eyes adjusted quickly and they did not like what they saw.

Andrea stood in the middle of the road, talking it up with the Governor. I had to admit I was a little jealous and a bit pissed that she practically ditched me for that asshole, but that wasn't the real reason for my sudden anger. She was completely ignoring everything we had learned in the past eight months. We agreed to be cautious of everyone and everything. We weren't supposed to be so trusting. Michonne had this way of reading people and that was a feeling we always trusted. She didn't have a good feeling about this Governor guy and she made the right choice by following that instinct. I agreed there was something off about him, but I couldn't just leave. Merle was the only family I had left. I couldn't abandon him like that. I didn't know if I would ever see him again, like Daryl or Shane. But Andrea was a different story. She just trusted this guy. I stood near the road and crossed my arms. I was disappointed in her. Andrea just forgot everything we stood for. That's what hurt the most.

The Governor noticed my presence and must have said something to Andrea. She looked over her shoulder and saw me standing there waiting for her to get done with him. She sighed visibly and turned back to him. Andrea lightly grabbed his arm before she left him there.

She had this smile on her face. It was a smile that I remember Shane having after the two of us had a great conversation. She was happy about something they had talked about. The worst part about it was the fact she was happy that she had that conversation with him in particular.

I shook my head slightly as she approached.

"What?"

I looked away from her. "Nothing." If I told her what was really going through my head, it would just start another fight. That was the last thing I wanted right now. "What was that about?"

"What was what about." I hated when she did this. I am not stupid. I knew that something was up. She didn't need to act like I didn't.

"As much as you would like to think sometimes, I'm not blind. You two were obviously talking about something. What was it?"

"Oh. I was just talking to Phillip ab-"

"Phillip?"

"Oh. I mean the Governor. Don't tell anyone I told you that. I guess he doesn't really want people to know. I'm not sure. Just keep that to yourself, okay?"

"Okay then. What were you and Phillip talking about?" Phillip. It was such a common name for an uncommon man.

"I want to start contributing around here. I asked him if I could work the wall and he agreed."

"He agreed? Just like that?"

"Well, I mean. I had to talk him into it a little, but yeah. I'm going to start training I guess."

"Huh. Sounds... good. Yeah. Sounds like something you would be good at."

"You know, you can talk to him and maybe you could work with me."

I giggled. "Oh, no. I refuse that offer. Thanks."

She didn't laugh back. "Why not?"

"Being apart of their 'military' would mean working under Merle. I did that for the better half of my life. I'll pass on doing that in the apocalypse, too."

"Well, there has to be something you want to do here. You know. Other than walking around judging everything and everyone like you've been doing these past couple days."

I folded my arms and flipped my hair out of my eyes. "Okay. Like what?"

After spending a minute on it, it was like a light bulb went off above her head. "What about hunting? That was always something you enjoyed doing. It would get you out of here for awhile and it would provide food for these people. I'm sure Merle could even tell the Governor what a good thing that would be."

"I don't know, Andrea. I don't think these people are accustomed to eating squirrels or rabbits like we are."

"You can hunt deer, too. Come on. Don't try and back out of this one. It will be good for you."

"Andrea-"

"No, Ariel. You're doing this."

I sighed. She was right. I couldn't stay cooped up in these walls anymore. I needed to do something productive. "Okay. I'll go talk to the Governor."

She finally grinned at me. "Okay." Then the light hit her eyes. "Look. He's right there. Go talk to him."

"Now?"

"Yes, now. There's no better time than the present." Andrea gave me a hard push. "Go."

"Damn it," I mumbled under my breath. What was I going to say? Do I just spit it out? I approached the Governor in a matter of seconds. I took a deep breath.

He noticed me before I could say a word. "Hey, Ariel. How are you doing today?"

"I'm fine."

"Did you enjoy the fight? Merle took Martinez down without a struggle."

I stared at the ground. "Yeah. He was always a decent fighter. I know first hand."

"Is there something wrong?"

I took one last deep breath. "I heard you gave Andrea a job."

"I did."

"The wall?"

"Yes. That's what she asked for."

"Could I do something around here, also? I'm just walking aimlessly around and that's not exactly helping anyone."

"Well, I don't think we really need anyone else on the wall-"

I cut him off. "Not the wall. Andrea can have that. I'm talking about hunting."

"Hunting? Out there? I don't know."

"Hear me out here. Merle and I have been hunting since we were kids. I've been out there from the beginning. I know how to handle everything. Besides, wouldn't it be nice to get some meat to eat? That way you can save the canned stuff for the winter months."

"Are you sure you can do this?"

"Very."

"The truth is, I don't feel very comfortable sending you out there on your own."

"I can take care of myself. Trust me. I can do this."

He placed his hands on his hips. "Okay. You can go hunting. If you get into danger, you need to find a way to let us know."

"Definitely will."

"When do you want to go?"

"As soon as possible. I don't want to lose light."

He nodded, understanding. "I'll tell Merle to give you a weapon and some gear." The Governor turned to find my brother.

"Uh." My low voice stopped him. "Thanks."

"Whatever it takes to make you and Andrea feel at home here." The Governor left me without another word.

I stared as he walked away. I had so many questions about this guy. Why was it so easy to convince him to let me go? Why is he letting me go at all? Does he really know how dangerous it is out there? Why did he not force someone to accompany me? Just by looking at him, I knew that Philip wasn't the kind of man to let things be easy. I'm going to need to watch my back out there and not just for walkers or strangers.

"Since you're not screaming or throwing punches," Andrea's voice surprised me, "I assume he said yes."

My brow furrowed. "Do I always do that when I don't get my way?"

She giggled. "Not in a long time."

"Guess I didn't have a reason to."

Andrea sighed. "When do you leave?"

I lowered my head, knowing she might not be too fond of my answer. "As soon as Merle can get me some equipment."

"That fast?"

"That fast."

"I thought he would at least make you wait a day or so."

"Yeah. That's what I thought, too."

Her head tilted. "What's wrong?"

"This doesn't seem funny to you?"

"What do you mean?"

"I mean how fast he just let me go. He hardly put up any fight. I thought he would at least tell me he would think about it or something. Why just let me go? How does he know that I'm just not looking for a way out of here? And why send me alone? He mentioned not being comfortable with it but then that was it."

"Maybe you convinced him."

"It wasn't supposed to be that easy."

"Ariel." Andrea placed her hand on my shoulder. "Stop reading into everything the Governor does. Maybe he's sending you out because it's actually a good idea. You should just be grateful that he's letting you outside the walls to do what you used to enjoy doing. And don't try and think of reasons he sending you out while you're out there. You need to stay focused. You can't get distracted by things like that."

"Well, my Baby Sis is going out into the world all by herself. She is so grown up."

I rolled my eyes. "Shut up, Merle."

My brother walked over to us and put an arm around my left shoulder. "What? I can't be proud of my little sister?"

"I'm doing nothing new, Merle."

"Yeah ya are. You're contributing."

"Whatever."

"If you don't mind, Blondie, I'm gonna take my sister to get geared up."

"Have fun," she said with a hint of sarcasm.

"See you before I leave?"

She replied with a head shake. "Nah. I don't want you to waste anymore time. You'll lose light soon."

"Okay. See you in a couple days then." I was shocked she didn't want to say goodbye. Was she afraid that I won't make it back?

"See you in a couple days."

With that, Merle started to push me into one of the buildings. It was one that I hadn't been in yet. This one was off limits to the residents because it was where the weapons were kept. He pushed me into a room and weapons lined the walls.

"I got a couple things to give you. I got some knives for killing biters. A couple small guns you can keep in your pants in case things get a little hairy. But I got one thing I know you'll like."

I stood in the doorway and crossed my arms. "And what would that be?"

"You gotta close your eyes."

"Merle." I was getting agitated.

"All right. All right." He grabbed my arm and pulled me to a table in the corner. "I saw this and thought you would like to have it."

My eyes widen and a grinned spread on my face. "Oh Merle. How could you keep this from me, you bastard." I picked up the new weapon with one hand and the ammo with the other.

"I know it's Daryl's favorite to use while hunting. You were always fond of it, too. When I saw you didn't have your's, I thought this was a nice replacement."

I threw the new crossbow on my back. I grabbed another bag from the table and tossed the arrows in a side pocket. "Yeah. I lost mine back in Atlanta. The CDC blew up with it inside."

"How did that happen?"

"Long story." I admired the black beauty. "Thanks, Merle."

"No problem kiddo."

He let me wander around and grab a couple things that I may need including a lighter, a water bottle, and even a flare gun. After about ten minutes, I was sure I was ready to tackle the open hell outside once more.

"Got everything?"

"Yeah. I'm ready."

"Ya sure you don't want anyone to go with you?"

"I'm positive."

"Okay. Then let's get you out and hunting."

The two of us walked silently to the main gate. I could tell there was something on my brother's brain, but I didn't ask what it was. If it was still bothering him when I got back, then I would ask. Right now, I needed to get out and have some sort of freedom.

He had the men open the gate, wished me luck, and I left. That was it. The gates shut behind me and I was off. I planned on walking a few miles away from Woodbury before I started hunting. I needed some space to make sure I wasn't being followed. I was going to cherish these few days as much as I possible can.


	13. Chapter 13: Let My Mind Wander

I had walked for hours doing absolutely nothing. I wasn't looking for walkers or animals to kill. I just took this opportunity to be alone. It was something that I haven't had in months. Being alone was something that I used to cherish. When Merle would get on my nerves or Daryl would try and boss me around, this is where I would come. I would go out to the woods and breathe the fresh air and cool down from whatever pissed me off that day. Until the end of the world, I would be out here almost every day. Being alone was one of my favorite things.

Now, being alone is considered a threat. The only thing I could think was that I didn't want anyone to find me out here. Strangers or friends, although I didn't really have many of those anymore. Strangers would mean trouble. Friends might mean the same. For now, I think I'll just stick to the trees and try to stay hidden. I don't want to draw any attention my way. I may be armed but I can't take on a whole group by myself. Being alone was a dangerous thing in this world and I wasn't going to fall because of it.

After walking and trying to clear my head, I decided that I might as well try to hunt something. I have to come back with something or they wouldn't let me out here again and it was something that I had truly missed. This forest was and is my home. I can't give it up again. Being coped up in that town was killing me on the inside. Sure, I liked feeling protected, but this is where I feel like myself. I feel like a Dixon.

A squirrel rushed by my feet. I stopped moving and held my breath. I followed it with my eyes and slowly lifted my bow. It stopped halfway up the tree and I aimed. I released air slowly from my nose and steadied my hand. I fired the arrow and bullseye. It pierced right through and stuck the squirrel to the tree. I wiggle the bolt and easily took the squirrel down. One down, ten to go. Maybe if I was lucky enough to bag a buck, I could skin it and bring the meat back to the town. That would also mean going back early and I wasn't sure if that was what I wanted.

Once the squirrel was shoved safely into my back, I carried on. I tried to look out for more prey this time around, but I couldn't really do it. Instead, I let my mind wander, something I avoided doing most of the time because my mind usually ended up going to places that I didn't want to go.

First, I thought of Merle. I wondered what he was doing. I never used to care. I've grown closer to him these past few days. The two of us would always bicker and start physical fights because I thought that I could take him even though I didn't stand a chance. When I first found out that he had been left on that roof in Atlanta, I had all these mixed feelings about it. I was happy to see that someone finally stood up to him when he was being a piece of shit. Even if I didn't believe the story they told, I knew they handcuffed him up there for being a piece of shit. There wasn't a doubt in my mind about that. Then I was mad that they just left him up there like that. Merle wasn't some animal. He was a human being. No human deserves that kind of treatment. Man, I hated Rick for doing that to him, but I'm over it now. I actually kind of miss Rick.

That's how I started thinking about our fearless leader, Rick Grimes. I wasn't sure how he got chosen for that role, but he just was. There were times when we were on that farm that I wanted to put a bullet between his eyes and be done with him. Then there were times where I knew that we had chosen right by making him our number one. Rick was someone that I never had one opinion on. It changed with every decision he made. There was never one thought either way. His wife was something though.

Lori was the definition of a pain in the ass. She would always butt into everyone's business and always try and put her two cents in even when it wasn't welcomed. I did hope her baby made it, though. Not a day goes by that I don't think about that poor kid in this world. He or she is going to have a tough time growing up if he or she makes it that far. I wonder what the baby is, boy or girl. It doesn't really matter what it is, I would just like to know. I'm sure Carl was going to be a great big brother.

Carl was a kid in the apocalypse and I truly believe that is one of the worst things he could possibly be. Growing up in a world like this isn't easy. My childhood sucked but at least there weren't man eating monsters at every corner. Even the adults need to be trained properly. It's a trial and error world. That's the problem. But anyone can learn, I guess. I mean, Andrea learned.

My best friend Andrea was someone I worry about almost every minute of every day. I knew she could take care of herself, but that's not why I worried. She just seemed so vulnerable to me. She just wanted someone to love her. She won't listen when I tell her to stay away from the Governor. He's bad news. She never listens to anyone. Even back in Atlanta all she wanted to do was prove herself. Even when she did, it wasn't enough. Andrea tried to do everything a man can do. I knew that she could do it. There was never a doubt in my mind that she was tough and a good shot, but she was determined to prove it to anyone she could. Her cockiness could have gotten me or my brother killed. Just an inch over and that would have been it for Daryl. I would have never been able to talk to him again.

This was when my mind decided to enter the 'DO NOT ENTER' area. Every time I thought of Daryl, I became depressed and lonely. I used to love to think of old memories of me following him around when we were kids, or him taking Merle down when he would pick a stupid fight with me. Daryl always looked out for me. No matter what, I always knew that I could depend on him. He was the one person in my life who never let me down. Daryl was the man that guarded me from the dangers in the world since our father wasn't around to be that man. Now that I'll never see him again, I felt exposed. I don't feel safe or protected. Even when we were fighting, I knew he was close by and ready to be at my side if need be. I don't have that anymore and I hate it. I missed him and his dumb over protectiveness so fucking much. All he wanted to do was protect me from Shane just like he had done my entire life.

Shane. Oh Shane. I can't describe -

A loud bang cut off my thoughts. Instead of letting my mind wander, this time it went directly to one person. Michonne. She had only gone a short time ago so she couldn't have gotten far. The chances of it being her were too high for me to ignore. She may have left us, but I would still take a bullet for her.

Because I was walking for miles, I didn't have a lot of energy left. It was going to take me forever to walk all the way to the source of the gunshot, but I didn't care. She was my other best friend. I had to try. I was going to get there even if it killed me. She needed my help and I wasn't going to risk abandoning her.

The echo made it difficult to pinpoint exactly where the shot came from but my best guess was to go east. I needed to be careful, though. The sound of that gunshot could have attracted a few unfriendly foes, dead or alive. The alive ones were the scarier kind. I held my crossbow with bother hands, but made sure that my gun and a few knives were easily accessible to me in a time of need.

After about two hours, I managed to find a few dead walkers. They had been killed recently and the tracks around them were still fresh. There were multiple prints, but only one pair small enough to be Michonne's size. After further investigation, I found a man with his head cut clean off. I knew that Michonne had been here. She must have met up some some of those unfriendly people and got into a bit of a scuffle. I hoped that that gunshot wasn't directed at her. If it was, she's either seriously injured or dead, neither of which are good things.

I managed to follow her tracks for awhile and noticed a bit of a drag on her right side. Something must have happened during the fight that caused her limp. Even with her slower pace, however, I was probably a day away from catching her. Michonne always managed to keep moving with the worst of injuries. It wouldn't surprise me if she was halfway to the ocean by now.

Night had begun to fall and darkness filled the voids around me. I couldn't see her prints in the dark like this and I was unsure how much battery my flashlight had. The last thing I wanted was to be stranded out here in the dark without a working flashlight. I turned it on quickly to find the closest and safest tree to climb. I needed a place to stay for the night and the trees were my only option.

Once up one, I followed the same drill I always did. I tied myself and my stuff to the thickest branch and lulled myself to sleep. It wasn't the most comfortable place in the world, but it was something to keep me safe by myself.

I sighed. Laying in the tree made me only think of one thing. "I miss you, Shane," I muttered before drifting off to sleep.

* * *

**A/N: Hey everyone! I just wanted to apologize about taking so long to update this story. If you're following my other story than you already know, but I've been going to school and working and I haven't had time to do the one thing I love. I'm on vacation this week so I'm going to try and post as much as I can. I hope you all enjoy this ****chapter and continue to follow this story. It's about to get good. Thank you all for reading and don't forget to review.**


	14. Chapter 14: Be Excited

"Andrea?"

"Ariel? Oh man, I am so glad I found you."

I lowered my crossbow away from her face. "What in the hell are you doing out here and why in the hell are you pushing around a walker."

Her face was distressed and it appeared she hadn't slept in days. "Listen, there isn't much time-"

"Andrea, start explaining."

She fussed with the walker, but still managed to look directly at me. "There was a break in at Woodbury."

"Oh my god. Is everyone okay?"

"No. There were a lot of casualties."

My mind quickly went to the worst possible scenario. "What about Merle? Is my brother okay?"

"I think so."

"What do you mean by 'I think so'?" My mind start filling itself with mountains of doubt and grief. My only family could be dead and I could have stopped it. Instead, I was out here trying to fulfill my own selfish desire.

"Ariel, the group that attacked was our group."

My jaw dropped. "What did you just say?"

"Merle found Glenn and Maggie and brought them to the Governor. He was holding them somewhere. Rick and the others came to get them. Things got bloody."

"How bloody?"

"One of theirs died. He was wearing a prison uniform. I've never seen him before."

"And Woodbury's?"

"Lost maybe half a dozen."

"Jesus Christ."

"Yeah. Here's the worst part. Most of their group got away, but one. Daryl stayed behind to find Merle and got captured."

A panic replaced the grief in my mind. I nearly lunged at the blonde woman in front of me. "Oh my god, Daryl's alive? Did he make it out? What did they do to him? That dumb bastard, always trying to save us. Did he and Merle escape? The Governor didn't kill him, did he? Answer me!"

"Rick and the others came back and saved him, but that's not the whole story. Once the Governor had Daryl, he tried to pit your brothers against each other in a fight to the death."

"HE FUCKING WHAT?" The Dixon anger had jumped out of hiding. Everything I learned about controlling it went right out the window.

"Ariel, I need you to calm down." Andrea tried to put her hand on my shoulder, but I shoved her off.

"I'm going to kill that son of a bitch." I started stomping away, but Andrea knocked me to the ground. She had pushed the walker far away to stop me from leaving. "Get off me!"

"No! I can't do that!"

"Andrea!"

"There's more!"

"I don't care! That fucker is going to die for what he did!"

"Ariel, you need to listen to me." She was on top of me, forcing my shoulders to the ground. "Michonne was with them."

I stopped squirming. "What? Really? How?"

"I don't know, but before Maggie and Glenn could escape, they gave up their location. They're staying at a prison a couple miles from here. That's where I'm going. If you go back to Woodbury, they'll have you killed because of your connection with Merle. You need to come with me."

My breathing seemed to stop completely. My brothers were still alive and were together. My best friend was with them. The one thing holding me back was something she didn't mention. "Daryl, Merle, and Michonne are all still alive, but what about Shane?"

Andrea's shoulders dropped and she shook her head. "I don't know. I didn't see him there. The only way you're going to find out is if you come with me."

I didn't need to give it a second thought. "Okay. But I need you to do something for me first."

"What?"

"Get off me."

She looked down and realized that she was still pressing on my shoulders to keep me down. "Oh, sorry." She pushed herself off of me and reached her hand out to offer me assistance. I gladly took it.

"Where'd your walker go?" I asked as I rubbed the dirt off my back and legs.

Andrea pointed to the stumbling idiot about thirty feet away. "He walked over there."

"Are you using him as cover like Michonne did?"

"Yeah, that's the plan."

"Nice."

We walked over to him and Andrea picked his leash back up. She looked back at me. "Ready?"

"I've been ready."

"Good. We need to start moving if we're going to make it before sunset."

"Oh don't worry. We'll make it way before that."

"Well, now that I have you, we'll get there faster. You know your way around these woods better than I do."

I chuckled. "Yeah, you would probably be screwed."

"Tell me about it."

The two of us started walking towards our destination. I had so many questions for her, but I didn't know how to say them. I didn't want to draw too much attention to us by talking, either. We needed to blend in with the walkers. Talking would just make us stick out.

When there wasn't too many walkers around, Andrea sparked the conversation. "You want me to go into more detail, don't you?"

"Are you a mind reader?"

"No, but I can read your body language. I've spent enough time with you to know when something's bothering you."

"Okay, then. Tell me everything you know."

"Okay. Merle found Glenn and Maggie and brought them back to Woodbury. The Governor had them imprisoned for a day or so. They gave up where they were staying. Then Rick, Daryl, Michonne, and that other guy came to save them. It caused a bit of a ruckus I guess you could say."

I huffed. "Knowing Rick, it was probably more than a ruckus."

"Yeah, it was. Anyway, they saved Glenn and Maggie, but Michonne ran off. I found Michonne fighting the Governor. She was about to kill him. I stopped her. Glass got in his eye. He's blind in it, now. He had tanks of walker heads, too. The fight broke them all. It was brutal. I let her go. I'm not really sure where she went after that. I assume she went back with Rick and them."

"Was she alright?" I honestly didn't care for what she had to say about the Governor or his blind eye. I never liked him and now I had a reason why. It was Michonne that I was concerned about.

"A little banged up, but otherwise okay."

"What do you know exactly about Daryl?"

"He's alive. Merle and him got out."

"Did he look okay?"

"A little scared. Who can blame him? I'm sure he was thinking he was about to die."

"Yeah, he probably was. Man, I can't wait to see him again."

She giggled a bit. "I know you can't."

"How did you get out?" I asked her.

"Milton helped me."

"Milton?"

"Yeah. I'm just as surprised as you are."

"I'm not surprised," I admitted. "I'm concerned."

Her face twisted in a peculiar way. "What are you concerned about?"

"Andrea, he's the Governor's right hand man. don't you think it's a little weird that he volunteered to help you?"

"He didn't volunteer. I asked for his help. Milton's a good man, Ariel. He wants to do what's right."

I shrugged. "I don't doubt that, but maybe he doesn't know what's right anymore? He has been beside the Governor since the beginning. His point of view might have changed."

"I trust Milton. He's a good person."

"I hope for your sake you're right."

Silence fell over us again. I wanted to address the elephant in the room, but I didn't know how. My mind was flooded with a million different possible scenarios, none of which had a positive outcome. I needed to know what she thought. Maybe I was just being crazy. "Do you think Shane is there?"

Andrea didn't answer right away. "Um... Probably."

"You hesitated. Wanna tell me what you really think?"

She lowered her head. "Okay. Honestly, I don't know. Him and Rick were having a lot of problems before the farm fell. I wouldn't be surprised if he took off to go find you. You were always his first priority."

I felt shame for the way things were between us. "I know." It took every ounce of energy my body had left to ask this next question. "Do you think he's dead?"

"Ariel, you can't think like that."

"He could be-"

"Stop," she demanded. "It's Shane we're talking about here. If anyone was going to survive, it was going to be him. You need to have hope."

My shoulders fell. "I haven't had that in a long time."

"Daryl's alive. The group is still out there. That doesn't give you some sort of hope?"

"It doesn't feel real."

"Once we get there it will. You're just in shock."

I tied my hair back. "I'm not in shock. I'm just trying to be practical."

"Well, stop. You should be excited. Be excited."

I giggled. "Yeah, okay. It's just that easy."

* * *

**A/N - Hello, everyone! I bet you thought I forgot about this story. Well, I'm here to tell you you're wrong. I'm just kidding. I didn't exactly know how I wanted to approach this chapter. It took me too damn long I'll admit and I'm very sorry about that. If you guys are still keeping up with this story, leave me a comment and let me know what you think. Love you all and thanks for sticking with me!**


	15. Chapter 15: Ditto

Andrea pushed the walker forward as a silver fence came into view. We moved past the foliage and was able to gaze upon the large structure ahead of us. The fences were tall, but the walls was where the real protection was. Guard towers were strategically built around the campus to watch out for any prisoners trying to escape. Now, they were no doubt used to watch for people trying to breach the walls. Walkers riddled the fields inside the fences. To my surprise, this was it. This was the spot where our group was holed up.

We came upon the entrance to the field. The gate had been knocked to the ground and the field was completely open. The gate was bent almost in half. Someone must have driven through at a high speed to cause such a bend.

I stayed close to Andrea to disguise myself from the walkers around us as we tried to push ourselves through the infested field. I knew they were starting to notice us, but we moved quickly. I kept my knife in my hand, ready for any of these bastards.

My heart pounded with each and every step I took. We were about to be reunited with the people we had spent months looking for. I wasn't sure if I was excited or terrified. For all we know, they could be completely different and not trusting. I tried to prepare myself for anything.

The walkers around us were starting to get restless. They weren't as dumb as we tried to pass them off as. One got a little too close and I was forced to shove my knife through its head to defend myself. Andrea had to do the same while trying to push our walker friend forward.

"Move faster," I whispered to her.

"I'm trying."

"Try harder."

About halfway up, we had started to gather a crowd both behind us and in front. The group behind us were only walkers that had started to notice we weren't like them. The group in front was the ones I was more concerned about. It was our group. They had seen us coming and rushed outside to greet us, at least that's what I hoped. They all were armed with the heaviest artillery I've ever seen them have. They must have found all of those guns while staying in this place.

At the gate that lead into the courtyard, Andrea still held the walker. My back was to her. The walkers were drawing near. The longer we stayed outside of their fence, the greater chance there was one of us would get bit.

For the first time in months, I heard Rick's voice. "Are you alone?" he demanded to know.

Andrea ignored him. "Open the gate."

"Are you alone?!" he repeated.

The loud voices had completely given away our position. "Rick! Open the damn gate!" I wasn't going to stand and wait for him to get what he wanted. I instantly remembered what a pain in the ass Rick had been.

The jangle of the keys could be heard behind me. I continued to walk backwards as Andrea took out our 'companion.' I wanted to make sure we were covered on both fronts. I knew they all had guns, but I doubt they would want to waste any bullets.

The gate slide open and Andrea grabbed my hand. She pulled me inside with her. The gate was closed quickly behind me.

Rick continued to bark orders. "Hand ups! Turn around!"

"What?" Andrea gasped.

He grabbed her back and shoved her against the fence. "Turn around now!"

When Rick reached for me, I pushed his hands away. "Don't fucking touch me, Rick."

"Ariel, I'm not messing around."

"And neither am I!"

A certain voice behind me caught my attention "Air?"

A man with long hair that covered his eyes approached me. "Holy shit. Daryl."

Without a second thought, I ran over to him and threw my arms around his neck and pulled him into a hug, a hug he gladly accepted. "I thought you were dead," he commented.

"Yeah. I thought I would never see my over protective big brother again." A grin was plastered on my face.

"Yeah and I thought I would never see my pain in the ass little sister again." He pulled away. "What happened?"

"We can talk when we get inside."

"Daryl, search her!" Rick yelled.

"You've got to be kidding." I turned my head and noticed Rick had Andrea on her knees on the ground. "You best let her go."

Daryl grabbed my shoulder. "Air, let me just search ya. Then we can go inside."

I pushed his hand off. "Fine."

Daryl pulled me over. I gave him my knife, gun, and crossbow to ease Rick's mind. He patted me down and to no one's surprise, I didn't have anything on me.

Rick grabbed Andrea's arm and brought her to her feet. He came over to me. "Next time I tell you to do something, you do it."

"We are not your enemy, Rick."

"You were staying with the enemy. How can I be so sure?"

I stared directly into his intense eyes and moved my face two inches away from his. I wanted to make sure he would hear me. "I heard what he did to my family. That's how you can be so sure."

"Rick! Back off!" A familiar voice called from the other side of the courtyard. It couldn't be. After all this time, could it really be him. Rick backed away and there he was. His face fell and he swayed in disbelief. "Oh my god."

We stood there and only stared at each other. Neither of us moved. After all this time of searching and hoping, it didn't feel real. I have had dreams like this before where he was standing in front of me and neither of us spoke. It was a dream that I would have often and had grown accustomed to. Whenever I woke up, my heart would ache for him to at least say one word, but never did. This had to be one of those dreams.

Then he whispered my name. "Ariel?"

My words were caught in my throat. There was so much I wanted to say, but I could only manage to speak one. "Shane."

My eyes couldn't move away from him. He looked like the same man that I had left on that farm. He was still bald and his head shined in the bright sunlight. He wore his usual plain dark brown button down shirt with tan pants and combat boots. The top of his shirt was open and exposed some of his chest. A shotgun rested in his hands and a knife stuck out of the top of his pants.

I must have looked different to him. The last time we had seen each other, my hair was shorter and I probably appeared to be less tired. I hadn't slept much in these past 8 months and, I could tell, neither did he.

Shane lowered his weapon, dropping it to the ground. He took one step forward, but I couldn't wait any longer. I dropped any doubt that this was a dream and forced Rick out of my way. I went into a full sprint, needing to get to him as fast as I could. My feet would not stop until I was in his arms again. It had been far too long since I had last felt his embrace. I wasn't going to waste anymore time standing around.

I was inches from him in seconds. The last time I had run that fast was that night we were separated. That night, I was afraid I wasn't going to see him or anyone else again. Today was different. Today, I was running toward people that I loved. My fears from that night had finally washed away.

When the two of us first started, I was not okay with public displays of affection. I would have never initiated it. A year or so later, I am not the same way. All of my fears and personal issues had gone out the window. At this moment, I was ready to give up my uneasiness.

My body leaped onto his with complete trust that he would catch me. His arms wrapped around my waist in midair and Shane pulled me as close to him as he possibly could. My arms hugged his neck and my legs cloaked his hips. I squeezed and held him as tight as my body would allow me. I never wanted to let go.

Our hearts pressed together and beat to the same rhythm. They were quick like our breathing.

My face nuzzled into his neck while his warm breath blew across my ear. He spoke softly. "You're alive."

"So are you," I responded.

Shane's large hand grasped the back of my head and he stroked my hair. "I am never letting you out of my sight again."

"Ditto," I giggled.

Rick's rough voice interrupted our moment. "We need to get back inside."

My legs released his hips and slowly moved back down to the ground. My head pulled away from his neck.

Shane looked down at me in disbelief. "I thought you didn't like being picked up."

"I made an exception."

A familiar hand grabbed my shoulder. "Rick's right. We shouldn't be out here." Daryl didn't try to force me away from Shane and Shane didn't fight him back. Instead, they agreed.

"Yeah." Shane's hand moved down to my back and started moving me forward. "We need to stay inside. We don't know what those bastards are planning next. We'll continue this later."

Everything seemed so different. My brother and Shane were civil. On the farm, Daryl was ready to kill Shane. Now, they spoke to each other with a purpose. Rick was also on top. He was our leader back on the farm, but this was different, strange even. His rule wasn't very democratic. Things were certainly different at this prison, but I was glad to be back with my people. I was finally back home.


	16. Chapter 16: Never Came Up

Instead of walking with Shane or Daryl, I walked with Andrea. She was the person that I trusted the most in this room. As happy as I was to see Shane again, something didn't feel right. He may have appeared the same, but the look in his eyes told me differently. His eyes were heavy, tired. It was as if he had given up. He seemed defeated in whatever quest he was on. Whatever it was, I'm sure I'll find out about it soon. The last time I saw Daryl, our relationship wasn't in the best of places. We hugged at the gate, but there were still unsaid words we needed to share. When I finally got a moment with him to myself, we were going to have those words. We can't let this pain we share go on any longer.

Michonne was with them. I couldn't stop smiling when I saw her here. I knew she was upset with both Andrea and me for not going with her, but I hoped we could all move past that. Her and Andrea turned into the sisters that I never had. They were two of the most important people in my life now and I don't know what I would do without them.

It had been about eight months since I had last seen any of these people, but I was sure that after all this time they all still hated me. My mind flashed back to the days I had first met everyone. My brothers and I did not make the best first impression. Merle was being a dickhead like usual and Daryl warned me against Shane. I left them there that night to be out on my own. Shane and I really started to bond then. Then Merle went missing and the group had again thought terrible things of Daryl and me. We damn near killed Rick and Shane for what happened to Merle. That day, the both of us believed we would never see our oldest brother again. Flash forward to the farm. I punched Andrea in the face, fought over every little thing with Daryl, and repeatedly did the same with Shane. We were together, then we weren't. It was the most exhausting time. Everything was constantly changing. During our stay at the farm, I nearly died once, but the group was there for me. Daryl and Shane were there for me. Then that night happened. I finally told Shane how I really felt and he was taken away from me. Daryl and I were still at odds and all of my friends were gone. Michonne found Andrea and I at our wits end. She saved us then and countless times after that. We spent the remainder of the time together. Every night, I wished that we could meet back up with this group and be the family we once were. Of course, there were times that I wanted nothing to do with them, but after being gone for so long, I never want to leave again. That brings me back to today.

Rick pushed open the door and revealed the main eating area to the two of us. It wasn't much. Just a couple of tables and shelves with little food around. It was dirty, very dirty. They must have just found this place. They didn't have much time to start cleaning it out. It smelled horribly of death and could use some Febreze. Daryl, Merle, and I grew up in conditions like this. The only difference was the smell. Swap out the death with booze and you got our childhood home. I folded my arms as my eyes wandered around. I had never been to prison before and sure as hell glad I never did.

Carol ran down the stairs from the second floor and ran straight for Andrea. The two tightly embraced in front of me. I remembered how close Andrea was to Carol, especially after her daughter went missing. That was a tough time for all of us.

After their hug, Carol looked at me and to my surprise, hugged me as well. I never really talked to her much, but I appreciated the gesture. I held onto to her as long as she wanted, which was much longer than I expected. Now that I'm here, I'm going to try my damnedest to talk to her more. She's one of the few people who still seem to care around here.

"Hershel, my god." Andrea's words broke us apart.

Hershel hobbled over on crutches. His one leg was missing, but he was still around. I'm sure I'll find out what happened to him soon.

"I can't believe this," Andrea mumbled. "Where's Lori?"

When Rick didn't answer, Hershel stepped up. "She had a girl. Lori didn't survive."

"Neither did T-Dog," Maggie added.

The whole group was gathered around us, but my eyes only fell to Shane. Lori had her baby, but she died doing so. His head hung at the sound of her name. I knew about their past and how much he believed that baby was his. I just wanted to know if he still felt that way.

"I'm so sorry."

"Me too." Andrea and I both looked to Rick. This loss must be hitting him hard. When he woke up from that coma, his only mission was to find his wife and son. Now, she's gone.

"You all live here?" Andrea asked.

"Here and the cellblock." Glenn was standing in the corner. I almost didn't notice him without his baseball cap.

"There? Well, can we go in?"

Rick stepped in front of Andrea. "I won't allow that."

"We're not the enemy, Rick." I leaned against the small railing staring directly at him.

He didn't even look at me. His daggered eyes stayed on Andrea. "We had that field and courtyard until your boyfriend tore down the fence with a truck and shot us up."

"He said you fired first."

"Well, he's lying."

"Wait. He came back here and attacked you?" My face was full of disbelief. I walked over to Andrea and crossed my arms. "Why didn't you tell me this?"

Hershel stood tall behind us. "He killed an inmate who survived in here."

Daryl's voice from the other side of the room sounded off. "We liked him. He was one of us."

Andrea lightly shook her head. "I didn't know anything about that."

My eyes never left Andrea's face. What else did she know that she didn't tell me? "Neither did I."

"As soon as I found out, I came. I didn't even know you were in Woodbury until after the shoot-out."

Glenn was having none of what Andrea was saying. "That was days ago."

"I told you, I came as soon as I could."

I wasn't going to let her drag me down with her. "I just found out about this. I went hunting and I wasn't around during the shoot-out. Ask Merle. I ran into Andrea in the woods on my way back to Woodbury and she told me that you were all still alive. I didn't even go back into the town to get my stuff. I was determined to find you all. We both were."

When no one answered either of us, Andrea turned on Michonne. "What have you told them."

"Nothing," was all she said.

I sighed. "Andrea, don't."

She was too pissed off to even hear me. "I don't get it. We left Atlanta with you people and now We're the odd men out?"

I have never seen Glenn this upset about anything before. Even when Dale died he wasn't this angry. "He almost killed Michonne and would have killed us."

Andrea pointed to my brother Merle. "With his finger on the trigger. Isn't he the one who kidnapped you? Who beat you?"

"Wait," I interjected. I looked up at my brother. "What did you do?"

Merle didn't look at me. Instead, his gaze fell to the floor. I was so lost in this conversation. So far I learned that the Governor tried to kill of my friends and Merle was by his side? I wasn't sure I was getting that correct.

Andrea took a second to gather her thoughts. "Look, I cannot excuse or explain what Philip has done. But I am here trying to bring us together. We have to work this out."

Rick had had enough. "There's nothing to work out. We're gonna kill him. I don't know how or when, but we will."

Andrea shook her head at him. "We can settle this. There is room at Woodbury for all of you."

Merle chuckled from the top of the steps. "You know better than that."

"What makes you think this man wants to negotiate?" Hershel asked. "Did he say that?"

"No."

Rick put his hands on his hips. "Then why did you come here?"

"Because he's gearing up for war. The people are terrified. They see you as killers. They're training to attack."

Daryl didn't care about the information that Andrea was spilling. "I'll tell you what. Next time you see Philip, you tell him I'm gonna take his other eye."

Glenn didn't blink through his bruise on his face. "We've taken too much shit for too long. He wants a war? He's got one."

Her voice was soft. "Rick. If you don't sit down and try to work this out, I don't know what's gonna happen. He has a whole town." When he wasn't answering, she turned to the whole group. "Look at you. You've lost so much already. You can't stand alone anymore."

Rick stepped out in front of the both of us. "You want to make this right, get us inside."

"No."

"Then we got nothing to talk about."

I didn't say anything to his request because I was seriously considering it. The only problem was the people didn't trust my family anymore. I wouldn't be able to set foot in that place without being shot at. The only one who would have a chance is Andrea and there was no chance in hell she was going to put people in danger.

"There are innocent people."

That wasn't the answer he was looking for. Rick turned his back on all of us and exited the room, slamming the door behind him.

Andrea looked at everyone in disbelief.

I sighed. "What did you expect?"

"I expected some reasoning."

"Andrea-"

She pointed to Michonne and me. "No. You know what? Can we talk?"

My shoulders slumped. "Now?"

"Yes. Now." Andrea didn't wait for the two of us to respond. She pushed herself past Merle and walked through the door.

Michonne looked to me, silently asking if I was going.

"Go out there before she blows her fucking top. I'll be there in a minute." There were so many other things that I wanted to do now that I'm back here. Having a reunion meeting that was bound to end in a fight wasn't one of them.

Michonne stared at me only for a second before deciding that she couldn't avoid this either. She followed in Andrea's footsteps to the privacy of the outside.

Suddenly, Shane's hand rested gently on my shoulder and twisted me in his direction. His other hand pushed a strand of hair back behind my ear. "Your hair's longer."

My right cheek moved into a grin. "Why is that everyone's first reaction when they see me?"

"I like it."

"I like the bald look."

"I knew you did."

My grin faded and I hung my head. "Listen, there's something that I need to do right now. It's really important."

"I have something to do that's more important than anything you have planned."

"Oh yeah? And what's that?"

"This." His right hand roughly grabbed the back of my head and he pulled me to his face. Our lips touched aggressively as I moved my body closer to his. My arms wrapped around his neck and never wanted to let go again. With him in that moment, I was at peace. There was nothing more I could have asked for. He even pulled my hair a little, making me giggle. There were people around, but we didn't care. This was the reunion that I didn't think would ever happen.

"Daryl, how come you never told me that our pal Shane here was banging our baby sister?" Merle's voice was close behind me as I slowly parted away from Shane.

"Never came up," Daryl replied. My eyes watched as he went in the same direction Rick did after he stormed out. I wasn't sure if I should have been happy that he never told Merle about Shane or not. At this point, I was just glad to know he was alive. I was glad to know all of them were alive.

"What about you, little sister? How come you ain't never tell me you had yourself a boyfriend?"

"Like Daryl said. It never came up."

Shane's hand slowly stroked my spine, sending chills throughout my body. He stood straight up and looked Merle directly in the eye. "Is it a problem?"

"Not at all, big man. My sister can screw whoever the hell she wants. I couldn't give a rat's ass. Just don't do anything to hurt her. I'll have to kill ya myself."

I chuckled. "You're a little late to the party, brother. Daryl already beat you to it."

"No, Darlena over there wouldn't finish the job. I would."

I shook my head. "Whatever you say." I turned my attention back to Shane. "I'll be back."

"I don't want you to go. I don't want to let you out of my sights," he admitted.

"I'm not going anywhere this time."

Merle voiced his opinion once again. "Pft. Get a room and stay in it."

An evil grin spread across my face. "Oh we will later." Without waiting for a response from Merle, I pealed myself away from Shane to see what Andrea wanted to discuss.


	17. Chapter 17: Messiah Complex

Michonne was waiting by the door for me. She didn't want to face Andrea on her own and I honestly couldn't blame her for that. I wouldn't want to face her on my own either, not after that little meltdown she had with Rick.

I put my hand on the door, but looked at Michonne. "It's good to see you."

Michonne had this thing about her where she didn't speak much when she was upset. Her eyes could barely return the look I gave her. I knew that Andrea and I both hurt her by staying at Woodbury, but I was faced with an impossible decision. Could she really blame me?

Together, we pushed the door open and walked out to greet whatever words Andrea had waiting for us.

She stood on the far end of the courtyard and stared at Michonne. "You poisoned them."

Michonne was calm. "I just told them the truth."

"I didn't choose him over you. I wanted a life. Once we entered Woodbury, you became hostile."

"That's 'cause I could see it."

"See what?"

"That you were under his spell from the second you laid eyes on him."

Andrea was suddenly on the defensive. "That is not true."

"And you still are."

I shrugged. "Michonne's right, Andrea. You saw his pretty face and that was the end of it."

"Don't give me that shit. You stayed, too."

My face scrunched up. "Hey, I had a legitimate reason to stay."

"Oh, and I didn't? I was tired of always moving. Woodbury gave us stability! And how was your reason better than mine? Because you're brother? The one you always told us you hated?"

"At least I stayed for family and not some guy I just met."

"Isn't that why you went to the CDC with us? Back then, Shane was just some guy."

"There was more to it and you know it! You don't know what the hell you're talking about!" My hands balled into tight fists. I tried to contain myself like I had done these past few months, but she was pushing buttons she didn't have the right to. She was giving me excuses to punch her again. If I did, maybe she would snap out of this trance.

"You know what? I don't need this from you. I am there because those people need me."

I had never seen Michonne so calm and collected before. Out on the road, she was always on edge. Maybe this group is starting to mellow her out a bit. "And what about these people?"

"I'm trying to save them, too."

"I did not realize the messiah complex was contagious."

She pushed my button, I'll push her's. "No, actually, that's always been there. There just wasn't enough people around for you to notice."

"Go to hell both of you." Andrea had enough of us teaming up on her and decided to storm off, but didn't get very far.

Michonne didn't look at her. "He sent Merle to kill me."

Andrea and I froze. "He did what?" I breathed.

"Would have sent him to kill you, too, if you had come with me. But you didn't, did you? Either of you? Uh-uh. You chose a warm bed over a friend. That's why I went back to Woodbury. Exposed him for what he is. I knew that it would hurt you."

Andrea slowly turned around, revealing her wide eyes and horrified look.

"Michonne-" I started, but I couldn't finish. I didn't know what to say. My brother tried to murder her. Murder. That's what it was.

She sauntered away and went back into the prison without another word.

"He tried to kill her." I muttered as I rubbed my temple.

Andrea took one step forward, but not another. "Ariel-"

"No, Andrea! He tried to _kill_ her. We should have went with her. Merle wouldn't have come after us then."

"You don't know that."

"Yes, I do," I snapped. "Merle may be a son of a bitch, but there is no chance in hell he would come after me like that. Family is too important to him."

"There's no way you could have known Philip would do that."

"For Christ's sake, Andrea. Stop trying to humanize that asshole. He has his people call him the Governor. _The __Governor_. You even called him out on his bullshit with that name. That should have been our first warning." My head rested back and I stared up at the sky. My hands pushed on my side's as I tried to maintain my composer. "Michonne had a feeling and we didn't listen. We followed her all winter and we survived, but that's when we decided not to listen."

She took another step toward me. "We found something at Woodbury."

"It was selfish of us to stay."

"It was selfish of her to ask us to leave."

"You can't honestly believe that."

She shrugged. "Why not?"

"Why not?" I repeated in disgust. "She was trying to protect us, Andrea! And if you ask me, that was selfless enough to where we owe her at least some gratitude."

For the first time since we walked out here, Andrea didn't have anything to say. She knew I was right, but she didn't want to admit it. I knew exactly how her mind worked. She believed she can come here and talk to everyone and then talk to the people of Woodbury and everything would be sunshine and rainbows. As nice as that would be, that's not life works.

"This is just one big fucking mess." With that, I entered the prison once again. I was too pissed off to even look at Andrea. How could she be so selfish and so stupid at the same time. None of it made sense.

There was a small part of me that wanted to be back on the road with Michonne and Andrea. This way, none of this would have happened. Michonne wouldn't have been attacked, Glenn and Maggie wouldn't have been taken, and we all wouldn't be feeling this pain. Those were rough times, but they were simple. The only thing we had to worry about was surviving.

I wasn't lying when I said it was all big fucking mess because it was. Michonne, Andrea, and I are at odds, Shane doesn't seem the same, I had no idea what Daryl was even thinking at this point, and Merle. Well, Merle was the biggest fucking mess of them all. So far, he's been accused of kidnapping Glenn and Maggie and trying to kill Michonne. It was hard to believe he would do such things, but then it wasn't. I needed answers. I needed the truth and the only person who I could get that from is from the horse itself. Merle was the next group member I needed to talk to.


	18. Chapter 18: Where's Merle?

"Have you seen my brother?" I leaned against the wall as I spoke to Glenn.

"Which one?"

I shuffled my feet. "Merle."

He scoffed "Who the hell knows and who the hell cares."

"It was that bad, huh?"

"Bad doesn't even begin to describe it."

I hung my head. "I know it doesn't mean anything, but I'm sorry. If I would have known he had you-" I couldn't finish my sentence.

"Yeah, well." He turned his eyes away from me.

Thinking this was a dead end, I pushed myself off the wall to go find someone who might know where Merle ran off to.

"Ariel." I turned my head back to Glenn. "Try cell block B. He could be in there."

I nodded. "Thanks."

With a huff, Glenn walked in the opposite direction of me and mumbled, "Don't mention it."

Cell block B. Where the fuck was that? This place was just one big maze. Every time you turn a corner, it feels as if you went in a circle. I don't know how they managed to navigate themselves around this place. It also didn't help that there wasn't any lights nor windows. This prison is what they called home, but it wasn't very welcoming.

I walked for what felt like hours just trying to find cell block B. Just as I was about to give up, a small flash of light popped up at the end of the hall. The figure holding the light turned the corner slowly, not yet revealing their face, and had a gun drawn.

"I'm not a walker if that's what you think."

"Oh, hi, Ariel." Carl's face was dimly lit by the bright flashlight.

"What are you doing in here?" he demanded to know.

I crossed my arms. "I should be asking you the same thing."

"I heard a lot of movement echoing through the halls and I figured I'd go check it out."

"Yeah, well, it was just me trying to find my way in this shitshow."

He stared up at me, but kept his hat low. "You shouldn't be in here."

"I'm trying not to be."

"You should come back to the cell block."

"What? Are you the boss of me now?"

Sometime during these last few months, I could tell by the way this kid started contorting his face that he had turned into a little asshole. "My dad asked me to keep an eye on you."

"On me?" After pondering that for a moment, it started to make sense. "You're dad has a lot of trust issues these days, doesn't he? I guess I can't blame him. I could be working with the Governor," I joked. "But he did try and kill my brothers so that guy can go fuck himself." Carl had matured so much that I had forgotten he was still a kid. "Sorry."

"I've heard worse."

"From Shane?"

He nodded quickly. "Yeah."

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he got that from me."

Carl ignored my small talk. "Where are you trying to go?"

"I'm trying to find Merle. Glenn thinks he could be in cell block B."

He nodded once again. "Follow me."

I was shocked. "You know you're way around?"

"It's not that hard."

"Yeah, well tell that to a tracker who had no idea where the hell she was going for at least an hour."

Carl led the way through the dark hallways, not once lowering his gun. They had fashioned an old flashlight to the end of it for a makeshift silencer. Carl also had a knife in his right hand pocket. He stood straight and tell. He really wasn't a kid anymore.

I lowered my head as I followed the kid. "Carl?"

"What?"

"Sorry about your mom?"

He didn't answer. I'm sure I struck a fresh nerve, but I really was sorry about his mom. Lori was a pain in my ass, but she didn't deserve the hand that she was dealt. No one deserved that kind of hell.

My heart started beating faster and there was a pit in my stomach getting deeper and deeper. "I know what it's like."

"Yeah, I know. Daryl told me."

"It sucks."

"Yeah."

In no time at all, Carl brought me to the entrance of cell block B. It was right under my nose the whole time. As we walked, I tried to keep where we turned and tried to map out the floor plan in my head so I could make it back later.

At the door to the block he stared at the ground. "Here."

"Thanks. I appreciate it."

"Yeah," was his only response.

I sighed. "If you want, you can hang around to make sure I'm not in cahoots."

He shook his head once. "No, I'm gonna head back to C."

"Alright. Thanks again, kid."

Without looking back at me once, he stomped away. "I'm not a kid," he mumbled.

The death of his mother is hitting him hard. That or he has been like this for awhile. Either way, Carl needs to chill out. He's going to end up doing something he'll regret, or worse. He might end up getting someone killed with that attitude. It will only cause him more pain on top of the pain he was already feeling.

I slowly stepped into the empty block. My footsteps echoed even with the slightest step. It looked almost identical to the cell block the group was living in, except there was only a couple rooms being lived in.

"What took ya so long?" Merle leaned against the railing on the second floor.

"This place is a fucking maze."

He laughed. "Some tracker you turned out to be."

I smiled. "Fuck you."

His grin faded. "I'm guessing you didn't come here to ask for directions on how to get back."

I shook my head slowly and dropped my smile. This was going to be a serious conversation. I needed to be in a serious frame of mind if I was going to approach this correctly. There was so much to discuss. I couldn't have him running off before I chase him away.

He nodded once and shuffled down the steps. When he was three from the bottom, he took a seat and waited for me to start.

I closed the gap between us and rested my hand on the railing. "You wanna tell me what happened?"

"About what?"

"C'mon, Merle. Don't play fucking dumb with me. You know exactly what I'm talking about."

His arms rested on the step behind him and he relaxed into his new seat. "Where do you want me to start?"

"From when he found you."

"Now, that's a story."

"Start talking. A lot of people are saying a lot of things. I need to know."

"Fine. I damn near bled out when he found me. He stitched me up, fed me, gave me a bed to sleep in. After awhile, he needed help on the fences. After that, he needed help with... other objectives."

I nodded, trying to absorb as much of what he was saying as possible. "So you helped?"

"I helped."

"What about the day you found us?"

"He shot down the copter. Wanted their shit. That's when I stumbled upon you, blondie, and the last samurai."

"Her name's Michonne and she tells me you tried to kill her."

"Well, she wouldn't be lying."

Even though this was the second time I heard it, I still couldn't believe it. "You were gonna kill her. Why? What did she do?" I snapped.

"Not a damn thing. He didn't trust her, so he sent me after her."

"How many times did he have you do that, huh? Have you kill someone who didn't want to stay in his stupid town?"

That time, Merle didn't answer. His silence was enough for me. It was too damn many.

My leg convulsed as I tried to remain calm and listen to the whole story. There was one part that I was yet to get to. I wasn't even sure I wanted to hear it, but I had to. "Glenn and Maggie."

His eyes darted away from mine.

"Answer me, Merle. What happened to them?" I wasn't going to let this one slide. Glenn was covered in bruises and Maggie looked as if she had seen a ghost. It was something terrible.

"I beat the Chinaman, sicked a walker on 'em. I tried to get the location of their camp. I wanted to find Daryl and that was my only option."

"Only option?! Are you fucking kidding me? Why didn't you get me? I could have talked to Glenn!"

"What makes you think he would have told you?"

"He's my friend! Or if he didn't want to talk to me for whatever reason, he would have talked to Andrea! You didn't tell us by choice!"

"The Governor didn't want me telling you!"

"Don't give me that shit! You never take orders!"

Merle shot up from his seat and glared down at me. "I wanted to find Daryl. He wanted to location of the camp. This was how we decided to get it."

"What is wrong with you?"

"I did what I had to do survive after you ditched me in Atlanta."

I backed away and laughed. "This again? I told you a hundred times. Daryl and I went back for you! You weren't there. That is your fault. Your's. My hands are clean. Your's on the other hand..." I couldn't stop shaking my head at my oldest brother. I was ashamed at the things he described to me today and I knew I wouldn't be the only one. "Ma would be disappointed in you."

Suddenly, his hand was on my shoulder and his finger was in my face. "Don't you ever fucking bring her up. You barely even knew Mom!"

"I knew her long enough to know she didn't raise her oldest son to beat the shit out of someone for information or to murder someone because some asshole told you too!" I screamed. "She never wanted this for you, but here we are. You fucked up big time, Merle. I can't even look at you." I pushed his hand off of me, but he grabbed my wrist.

"You don't get to say that kind of shit and get to walk away clean."

"Oh, like the Governor is right now! He used you, Merle!"

"You think I don't know that now?!"

"Too little too fucking late!"

His grip tightened. "Listen." His voice lowered, but still sounded menacing. "I know I fucked up. I fucked up big time. I don't need you to point that out to me. I've made my bed and I am prepared to lay in it. Don't ever bring up mom about it again."

I had had enough. I took my free hand, placed it in the middle of his chest, and pushed with the most force I could muster up with one hand. He stumbled backward, but released my wrist. I held it with my other hand and tried to massage the pain away. After he gained his footing, he could only stare at me and I him. I had no other words to say to Merle.

Instead of continuing the intense silence, I gathered myself together. I did not speak one syllable to Merle as I took my first step toward the door.

"Ariel, wait."

Until that point, I was prepared to leave and not say anything more about the matter. That was until that point. I breathed once before glancing back at him. With a low, deep voice, I muttered, "You're not my brother." I turned my attention back to the door and walked to it. I pulled the door open and left it that way behind me.


	19. Chapter 19: Smashing Bottles

Everything felt like such a lie. He almost killed Glenn, one of our friends, for that monster. Was Merle even my brother anymore? I mean, he always was an asshole, but not to the point where he would almost kill someone. How many more people did he kill for that man, or whatever he is.

Now more than ever have I had the urge to kill someone. The Governor ruined Merle. He changed him into a person I didn't even recognize anymore. He made my friend's lives a living hell. Michonne tried to warn us, but I didn't listen. I was blinded by the fact that my brother was there and he desperately wanted me to stay. He wanted me to stay despite what he knew.

As I walked through the halls of the broken down prison, my hands shook with anger. I balled my hands into fists and tried to breathe. The walls seemed to start closing in with every step that I took. I just needed to get out of there. I don't know how long they've been in here, but I give them props. I've been here for an hour or two and I'm already losing my damn mind.

This place was a maze, but I retraced my steps and eventually found my way back to cell block C. A small group of people waited there, expecting my return. Rick's back straightened when he saw me.

"Ariel," he said.

"Not now, Rick."

He stuck his hand out, trying to stop me from leaving. "No. Now's a good time."

"Rick, I swear to god. If you don't let me out that door right now, you're gonna wish you had."

His head tilted. "Is that a threat?"

I stepped closer to him. "Damn right it is."

"Ariel." Shane's voice called from behind me. My head turned to his direction to find him standing on the stairs. He didn't say anything else. He knew I didn't want to hear it.

Suddenly, another friendly voice sounded from the second floor. "Rick." Andrea looked down at the two of us about to square off. "Let her go."

Rick glared up at her, but decided to step aside. This was fight he knew he wasn't going to win.

After one last look to Andrea, I stormed past Rick and headed to the door. I knew I confused everyone I walked past, but I didn't care. I had my own problems to deal with. I didn't have time to worry about what they were thinking.

I blew through the door and I felt only slightly better. The walls may have opened around me, but I was still feeling enclosed. I tried my best to hold all my anger inside, but I just couldn't. After all these months of learning to control myself, it had gone right down the drain. I couldn't do it anymore.

In the courtyard of the prison, there were small pieces of debris scattered around. I picked up every piece of trash I found on the ground, including bottles and cans, and whipped them at the wall. I watched as the bottles shattered into broken bits and listened to the hallow sound of the cans. These effects did not satisfy me. Anger still bubbled.

With everything that had happened over the past few days, I couldn't handle it anymore. I deserted my best friend for my brother, he turned out to be a monster, the people that I spent the better part of eight months looking for were right under my nose, and the guy that Andrea's screwing kidnapped my brother and pinned Merle and Daryl against each other in a fight to the death. It was a lot for one person to take in, but the worst part was thinking I could have stopped it. Maybe if I just never stopped looking for the group, something would be different. Or maybe if I went with Michonne instead of staying in Woodbury, I could have at least saved Glenn and Maggie from Merle. A long string of 'what ifs' flowed through my head. With each thought, my breathing quickened and my pacing refused to cease. If I would have just been here I could have helped. I could have helped.

My hands were balled up into fists once again. I needed to hit something, anything. I didn't care what it was, I just needed to get this out of me. Without thinking, my arm started to swing in the general direction of the wall.

Before I could strike, another hand grabbed me. When I tried to spin around to see who stopped me, an arm was around my waist.

"Jesus, Air. Are you trying to break your hand?"

"Let go of me, Daryl!" I demanded.

"Not until you calm down."

"I said get off!" I forced him back and he finally obeyed.

"What the hell has gotten into you?"

"What's gotten into me?" I snapped. "God I don't know! Maybe it's the fact that in a matter of a day, everything changed!"

At first, Daryl didn't say anything. He only stared at me, until he took a breath. "I know."

"You know? How could you possibly know?"

"I thought you were dead."

"What?"

"I thought I'd lost both you and Merle. Up until now."

"That's different."

"Is it?"

"Yes! I always knew you were alive. I knew you would make it. Out of everyone here, you would be the one to survive. But you're different. Everything is so different."

"Yeah. Things changed."

"How? Tell me what happened," I begged. I needed answers. I needed to know why things were the way they were.

"After we left the farm, I tried to go back to look for you. I really did. So did Shane. There were too many walkers, couldn't get through 'em. After seeing that herd, I just... I don't know."

I crossed my arms and stared at the ground. "You gave up."

"Shane didn't. Everyday, we had to drag him along and everyday, he managed to sneak away for awhile just to look. Rick tried to tell him to stop, that it wasn't worth it, but it didn't matter. He wouldn't stop. I gave up on you, Air, he didn't."

"I don't blame you for giving up. There were points where I stopped looking, too. Shit, we stopped looking for Merle."

"That was different."

"Maybe, but we somehow managed to find each other."

"No, we didn't. You found us."

"I don't really give a rat's ass who found who, Daryl. I'm here now."

"Yeah."

"I need more."

"More what?"

"Answers. What happened at Woodbury? You need to tell me everything."

"Michonne brought us there, told us someone took Glenn and Maggie. We busted in, grabbed them, got corner. Glenn told me about Merle, so I stayed behind. I wanted to find him. I needed my family back. Got caught not too long after that. They dragged me to some arena. That son of a bitch tried to pin Merle and me against each other. That's when the rest came back for us. We bailed pretty quick. Once we were somewhere safe, Merle told me that you were still alive. He wanted to go back to the prison, but I had to try and find you, especially since I fucked up the first time. I'm not really sure what happened with the group after that. Merle and I looked for awhile, but couldn't track you down."

"After being on the road so long, I got pretty good at covering my tracks."

"It's 'bout damn time you did," he joked. "Poor timing, though. We went back to the prison and it was under attack. If we got back a second later, Rick would've been walker food. We went back inside. That's when I found out that no one told Shane."

"I'm sorry. What?"

"No one wanted to tell him you were still alive. They figured it was smarter to just let him think you weren't with Andrea and Michonne. He would have went to look for you, possibly risking running into those assholes. So I kept it from him, so did Merle."

"So he doesn't know about me being with Michonne and Andrea?"

"I don't know. You all acted like you all knew each other. He might've started putting it together. No one really knows what goes on in that guy's head nowadays."

"What does that mean?"

"He's distanced himself from everyone. We hardly ever see him. He lives in a cellblock alone."

I shifted, knowing the next question would make both of us uncomfortable. "What about the baby?"

Daryl blinked, not sure how to answer. "He doesn't go near her. Doesn't go near anyone. He doesn't even look at Rick, not after the farm."

"What happened between them?"

"That one you're gonna have to ask him about."

"Don't you know?"

He ignored my question. "Have you talked to him yet?"

"No, not really, but I can tell he's... different."

"You could say that."

I wanted to change the subject. Daryl was being really strange about Shane, making me think there was much more going on than I originally expected. "Are we okay? I mean we really weren't on the best of terms when we got split."

"It's been too long to even think about all that bullshit."

I hung my head. "You know, for the longest time, I regretted what happened between the two of us. The way we left things... I thought about it every night."

"Me too."

"I'm sorry."

"Me too."

There was one last thing I wanted to talk to my brother about. "What about Merle? What're you gonna do with him?"

"What do you mean? He's staying here."

"You can't be serious."

"I'm dead serious. He ain't going anywhere."

"Daryl, he almost got Glenn and Maggie killed. He can't stay here."

"Of course he's staying here."

"Daryl-"

"No. I'm fucking tired of people saying he has to go. First Rick, then Glenn, now you? He's blood Ariel! He saved you!"

"Is that what he told you? He didn't fucking save me. He kidnapped us, brought us back to that place."

"He what?"

"Yeah! He dragged us back there against our will. Then he did the same with Glenn and Maggie? Only he treated them worse. He can't be here."

"I'm not letting him leave, Ariel!"

"Well, whatever you do with him, I don't care. He's not my brother anymore."

"Don't say that."

"Why not? My family doesn't torture our friends! God knows what else he's done! I'm done with him Daryl and I suggest you drop him, too. Merle's gonna get you killed."

"You don't mean that."

"Does it look like I'm kidding?" He didn't answer. I took a deep breath. "Listen, I'm... I'm going to talk to Shane and hopefully get the whole story about what went down here. Just... be careful around Merle. He's no good." I turned my back to Daryl and began to walk back inside.

"Air," he called.

I stopped, but didn't face him. "I'm glad you're back."

A tiny grin developed on my face. "Yeah, me too."


End file.
